Dawn of War Soulstorm
by alimination602
Summary: The Kaurava Campaign through the eyes of a Tau Soldier.
1. Chapter 1 Arriving in Kaurava

Chapter 1- Arriving in Kaurava

The Tau fleet leapt gracefully out of the warp, their atoms reforming instantly like the rapid completion of a mighty jigsaw puzzle the ships rebuilt themselves into their full forms.

Tau Commander Or'es'Ka stood on the bridge of the ship _Flames of Truth_, the flagship of the Tau armada ordered by the High Ethereal to help stem the tide of the conflict emerging in the Kaurava System. Or'es'Ka stared intently at the command screen dominating the centre of the bridge- watching the tactical display unfold before him. Each sector of the Kaurava system was clearly mapped- corresponding colours matching the faction currently dominating the territory. With the introduction of the Tau the number of factions engaged in the Kaurava System at present totalled five- their adversaries being the Imperial Guard, the feral tribes of Kauravan Orks, Legions of Chaos and the Necrons, each beginning their march to secure one of the systems planets each.

"Bring the fleet into position at the edge of the system" Or'es'Ka ordered the navigation officer. The Air Caste officer complied, the fish like craft of the alien fleet manoeuvring stealthily into position over the jungle clad planet of Kaurava II. "Activate the scanners- I want a suitable landing site identified within the hour"

"Yes sir" The Air Caste officers activated the ships long range scanners- preparing to search the system for an appropriate location to begin the Tau campaign for Kaurava.

The polished, metallic doors leading onto the bridge parted- a figure stepping through the open doors. The Tau Fire Caste Warrior loomed behind Or'es'Ka. The soldier clasped their gauntleted forearm over their chest in the traditional salute. "You summoned me Shas'O?"

"Yes. I am in need of your courage Trooper Karr" Or'es'Ka spoke with the calm and pious voice of a true follower of the Greater Good. "Navigations officer, activate the map" He ordered a member of his bridge crew.

The officer typed out a series of commands on his holographic display. The lights on the bridge dimmed, the projector in the centre of the room becoming awash with blue light. "We have identified the perfect landing zone for our troops to establish our base of operations" The image centred on the moon hanging precariously over Kaurava II. Or'es'Ka raised a gloved finger to the small bleeping icon. "This moon would serve as a perfect position for us to launch our operations in the Kaurava System. However there are difficulties"

"There is no obstacle to the Greater Good which cannot be solved by those truly committed to the cause" A quote spoken straight from the chronicles of the Cadre Academy.

"Very true Shas'El. But I fear that the infestation that corrupts this system may require more than the harsh wrath of our piety to properly dispense it" Or'es'Ka centred the view on the target zone- the cold grey surface of the moon overlaid by a corrupted purple envelope, the emblem of Chaos scorched into the surface. "Our desired landing zone is currently infested by the servants of Chaos- our only option is a full scale assault" A representation of a small fleet of Orca dropships glided silently towards the surface of the moon. "attempting to remove the Chaotic infestation with our fleets' laser cannons will only result in unacceptable damage to the facility. I am afraid you and your warriors are our only option"

The map snapped off, draping the bridge into dim darkness. "Very well Shas'O" Karr gave a respectful bow and turned towards the door.

"For the Greater Good" He called after her.

The fleet of Tau Orca dropships unloaded the formation of Tau Fire Warriors and Kroot Carnivore Squads on the rocky fields at the base of the Imperial citadel. Shas'El Karr lead her team down the landing ramp- the full extent of the Chaos presence on the moon only apparent once they touched down on the surface. The Citadel, a bastion of human technology, was now corrupted by the foul organic taint of Chaos. She turned back to face her squad. "Come soldiers of the Fire Caste- let us remove the forces of Chaos so that the Greater Good may flourish!"

The warriors cried the Fire chant of their Cadre. Karr lead them through the small, winding chasms dominated on either side by wide craters. Hard contact was soon made between the two opposing armies- the Chaos Space Marines had the advantage of terrain height but the wide, open visibility of the landscape meant that most of the fighting was done at long range, to the Tau advantage.

Alien plasma rounds strafed past human bolter rounds, the latter corrupted and stained by organic residue which infected Tau troopers upon contact- growing and consuming their bodies until they became as vile and demonic as the creature that had slain them. Karr had instructed that any who became infected were to be shot cleanly through the head- to ensure the corruption could not spread further.

The stalemate was eventually broken when a squad of red tinted Crisis Battlesuit's leapt over the lip of the crater- emerging behind the enemy line, spraying the Chaos frontline with spurts of minigun fire supported by shots from their secondary flamethrowers. With a painful wound opened in their defences a swarm of Kroot Carnivores broke ranks and stormed the enemy lines, the contact between the two sides becoming a frenzied massacre of demonic weapons meeting primal teeth and blades. With the bolstered support offered by the Crisis Battlesuits the Chaos forces could not hold their ground for much longer and those who did not flee were quickly cut down in a wave of blue plasma.

The Tau Fire Warriors, lead by Karr, drove forward into the next theatre of battle, their position now standing at the foot of the Citadel, the silver metal structure puncturing out from the rocky base. At the top of the ramp stood a Chaos Sorcerer, flanked on either side by his honour guard of demonic Space Marines. "There stands their Commander. Kill him! Purge his kind in service to the Greater Good" Karr screamed.

The first wave of Tau warriors charged up the ramp- some dropping into a crouch to fire before continuing their advance. The Chaos Sorcerer raised his arms above his head, the staff held in his hand beginning to pulse with foul dark energies. He slashed the weapon in front of him, the physical incarnation extending into an invisible pulse of energy which tore through the advancing soldiers, throwing them off their feet and discarding them like dolls back down the length of the ramp, the broken and battered corpses impaling the sharp rock lips of the surrounding craters.

Karr snarled- those proud warriors would be avenged. "Come Fire Warriors!" She leapt out from cover- charging the enemy line much as the first wave had. The remainder of her squad formed up behind her, following her into the maws of the abyss.

The Sorcerer thrust out with his demonic powers once again. Karr had the advantage- she anticipated it. She braced against the force of the blast, her metallic boots scrapped against the smooth metal beneath her. When she felt the energy dissipate she continued her advance- she glanced at either side, some of her squad had succumbed to the Sorcerers attack, but they continued to press forwards.

The Tau forces finally made it two thirds of the way up the ramp before they dropped to their knees once again- opening fire on the Sorcerers surrounding Honour Guard units. The Chaos Marines returned fire, the two squads exchanging fire over the ever decreasing distance as the Tau forces made they continued to advance up the ramp. Once again the advantage of height was given to the Legions of Chaos but the Tau Fire Warriors were the better marksmen. However with the constant support of the Sorcerer the Tau forces were having little impact, something had to give if they were to succeed. Karr decided to take it upon herself to break the stalemate- breaking ranks and continuing her charge at full speed up towards the battlements, taking each blunt round in the chest but not allowing it to impede her.

Karr had long ago discarded her Pulse Rifle, resorting to the ceremonial blades integrated into the forearm plates of her armour. Her troops and the Space Marines were caught up in the exchange of fire and unable to assist their commanders, it was entirely a one on one clash of blade upon blade. She made contact with the enemy commander, her curved forearm blades impacting the Sorcerers staff, forcing him to reel back as his balance faltered. However this fumble was quickly recovered, bringing the bladed weapon to bear against Karr. However she deflected the blow, forcing the two of them to separate before they made another attempt.

Karr's sharp ears suddenly heard something behind her- the battle between the Chaos Honour Guard and Karrs squad had ended. This meant that she would have to end the engagement quickly- either her soldiers were dead and soon she would follow them or the Chaos troops were defeated and the Sorcerer would attempt to retreat or take his own life before he could be captured.

Karr thrust herself at the Sorcerer; he attempted to bring the blade of his weapon to attack the exposed area of material between her helmet and torso. But Karr brought her forearm up to defend herself, the Sorcerers staff jamming in the curves of her bladed forearm, wrenching the weapon from his hands and dropping him to the ground.

Karr glanced at either side of her- relieved to see the barrels of Pulse Rifles being trained on the defeated enemy. One of her squad stepped forward, securing the enemy commander in a set of plasma cuffs.

Karr retrieved her discarded weapon, her gaze passing over the now secured Citadel as the remainder of her forces deployed all across the moon removed the last traces of Chaos presence. "Shas'El?" One of her troopers approached, retrieving a Tau banner from their pack. Karr accepted the shaft of the banner, watching the delicate material fluttering with the breeze. Karr raised the banner above her head- piercing the tip into the metallic hold beneath at her feet. From this point forward this moon was to be renamed Nan Yanoi- Sword Moon.

Karr walked out into the cool night air that covered the newly constructed base in the centre . Karr looked across the open field of silver coated metal dotted with semi-constructed Tau buildings being attended to by Earth Caste engineers. All around the perimeter of the base stood XV-88 Battlesuits and Path Finder patrols to identify and destroy any potential threats to their position before they made landfall.

She continued her walk through the grounds of the base, emerging near the research complex the Earth Caste had established to analyse any captured equipment acquired in the battlefield. The Fire Warrior bodyguards protecting the door snapped a sharp salute- only allowing their arms to return to their sides once she had passed. Karr walked briskly deeper into the intertwining complex network of corridors leading further into the facility- each new checkpoint she attempted to pass forcing her to submit to another security scan before she was admitted access. When she finally made it into the heart of the complex a part of her wished that she hadn't.

The centre of the circular room was dominated by a medical examination table encased within a glass cylinder surrounded by the curve of the room's wall. She approached the two guards protecting the doorway, having to surrender to another arduous confirmation of her identity before she was permitted access.

Karr watched as the polished door slid open to reveal the examination room behind it. The bulk of the room was occupied by an array of medical equipment and the examination table.

Strapped down onto the table with energy bindings was the Chaos Sorcerer she had captured during the assault of Nan Yanoi. After a lengthy interrogation sequence, which had left two Water Caste Diplomats dead under worryingly uncertain circumstances, Shas'O Or'es'Ka had decided to allow Karr to question the prisoner.

Karr stood over the prisoner, her fingers loosely entangled and naturally lay against her stomach. "Are you well?" She attempted to adopt as gentle a voice as she could, but the creature refused to acknowledge her presence.

The Earth caste scientists and engineers had attempted to disassemble the creatures armour in the hope of discovering a weakness in its design- but so far had only been able to remove the monsters helmet, the ghastly form beneath it sufficient enough to send some of the younger Earth Caste workers charging for the lavatory in sheer disgust. Karr however forced herself to hold back her pained groans in the hope of discovering what information the creature might hold beneath it.

"It is safe here. You can talk to me" Karr cooed. But still the creature resisted her. She attempted a different tactic- she pulled a high metallic chair from the monitoring station to the bedside, her long legs barely grazing the cold metallic floor beneath her. "What about that Warp Storm at the edge of the Kaurava system? Did you perhaps have something to do with-?"

That seemed to have struck a harsh nerve; the creature suddenly came to life- turning its head sharply to face her. "You know nothing of what you speak, child. That Warpstorm is the blessing of Chaos" he began to resist against his bindings- but they held. "It signals the coming that soon all who do not fully submit themselves to the Chaos gods will succumb to their unholy wrath, and will be consumed in their fires". The creature finally stopped resisting his restraints- its wrists strained and blooded from the sheer force that had been applied against them.

Karr watched the creature as its armoured chest rose and fell in time with every pained breath it dare take. Karr had already realized that this endeavour was a pointless waste of time and was more than ready to abandon her attempts at negotiations. She rose from her seat. "Then our conversation is over" she began walking towards the door.

"Wait" She froze at the words which whistled through the room. "I say, that we are far from over" Karr continued to walk away from the unintelligible ramblings of the mad man, but she was suddenly unable to command her muscles, her flesh unwilling to submit to her mind any longer. "You Tau truly believe yourselves beyond the reach of the warp" This voice seemed to be resonating from within her skull. This was impossible- Tau were usually completely cut off from the influences of the warp. "You seem bewildered, child, but the powers of Chaos are stronger than you can imagine" The creature sneered- feeling it's invigorated powers returning to him.

Karr suddenly felt something tearing her mind asunder. She collapsed to her knees- clawing at her forehead in a vain attempt to remove the pain. But quickly it consumed her.

Karr awoke to find herself on an entirely new plane of consciousness, the pain that had torn through her mind had long since dissipated and now seemed so distant. She opened her eyes to the world around her- an alien world blanketed a thin film of darkness that threatened to overtake her entire form. But like a ray of light piercing the shroud a figure began to swim through the darkness towards her.

The figure suddenly gained an identity- it was Shar, her once partner during her youth. But it seemed almost impossible- Shar had been killed during a raid on an Imperial outpost years ago. He seemed to almost swim through the darkness, eventually stopping with his face barely inches from hers, the two floating with their lips almost touching.

"Karr?" Shar spoke with his voice. He reached out to touch her- she repeated it for him. Her hand grazed his cheek; his flesh was cold and lifeless. A flash of lightning washed over her eyes- Shars face was suddenly replaced by a ghostly image of a broken, rotting corpse. The creature returned to its original form once again. "What's wrong?" His voice seemed to stutter.

Karr shook her head clear. "Nothing" she touched the tips of her fingers against his cheek once again- this time his flesh was pulsing warmly, her delicate fingers gliding gracefully over the smooth skin. Her face leant closer to his- their lips grazing eachother as they moved. Another wave of fear suddenly sliced through her. The demonic image returned.

"You seem af..." His voice changed again. "…raid" the voice was sickly and liquid- this creature was not Shar.

The image of her past lover materialized once again, she was thrust back into her ultimate state of mind. But that existence was readily destroyed by the powers of reality. Karr felt something gripping her by the shoulders, pulling her away from the embrace. She resisted for as long as she could- but eventually she could not hold out any longer.

She was torn away from her partner. She looked over her shoulder- a dark armoured Fire Warrior was gripping her shoulders- harshly keeping her at arm lengths from Shar's embrace. She wriggled and writhed in a desperate plea to embrace her partner once again. "Shar!" She threw her elbow back into the helmet of the creature holding her, the monster recoiled in shock, giving her the opening she required to charge back towards Shar. Their fingers barely grazed before Karr could feel the force pulling her back once again.

This time she could not resist. She cried out- arm outstretched as she felt herself being pulled further and further away. "Shar!" A crack of a gun shot resonated through her mind.

Karr stood motionless- her right arm outstretched before her. A Tau guard stood beside to her- a smoking plasma pistol held in his outstretched hand. The true reality finally settled within her. On the medical bed lay the broken corpse of the Chaos Sorcerer, a smoking hole imbedded in the centre of its skull. Karr felt slithering arms receding from around her body. She glanced over her shoulder, watching as the guard that had been standing just outside readjusted his askew helmet.

The second guard, sheathing his pistol, approached her. "Shas'El. Are you alright?"

Karr didn't respond, turning away sharply and leaving room. She could not stand to be here any longer.


	2. Chapter 2 Planet Fall

Chapter 2- Planet Fall

Or'es'Ka reviewed over the tactical display. And frankly the situation was growing far more perilous by the moment. The door to the op centre opened. Karr walked through the open gap, her delicate robes trailing behind her. Or'es'Ka failed to acknowledge her immediately, still gazing bewildered at the hologram fluttering before him.

"The situation has escalated" he said by way of a greeting. Karr silently stood over the display- watching as it moulded and changed. The image projected the four planets of the Kaurava system- each surface broken up into provinces; each associated a colour and emblem to the dominant faction in that region.

"I received word from our stealth teams deployed across the other planets- it appears there is a greater military presence in the system than we first thought" he dulled the maps bright lights, dissolving the array of colours into a blank outline. "So far, in addition to our current adversaries, we have detected Eldar on Kaurava III, Imperial Sisters of Battle on Kaurava I and Dark Eldar on Kaurava IV"

"I assume we intend to strike the united Imperial Force before they can rampage across the system- perhaps invoke a rash of disunity and infighting between their soldiers?" Karr had never held much regard for the servants of the Imperium.

"Actually that may not be necessary, the Imperials seem as eager to fight eachother as the rest of us" And their complete disregard for their comrades simply because of a minor difference in the chain of command only intensified the feeling.

"There is however some more joyous news to report" Or'es'ka continued. "It seems that the Space Marines have already executed their vendetta against their Chaos kin- removing one of our common enemies for us" Karr had overlooked the absence of the Chaos presence on Kaurava IV- the dark pink outline replaced with fiery red to represent the sudden shift of leadership.

"However the speed and ferocity of the attack is disturbing. They appear to be utilizing a new strategy involving drop pods fired from their orbiting Battle Barge. Utilizing sheer numbers and speed they overrun a province without needing to waste resources constructing a forward base"

"Then perhaps we should engage their Battle Barge- cut their troops off at the source?" Karr suggested.

"No- the marines are not our primary concern. Our current objective is to establish ourselves on the surface and begin engaging the enemy before they can engage us" He pointed to the southern hemisphere of Kaurava II. "I plan to land our forces here and push our way northwards, you shall lead them. Your first engagements will likely be with the Orks situated in these foothills. They should not be too much of a challenge as they are freebooters and pirates that are constantly at war with each other. Once they are dealt with we can ponder our next course of action against the Space Marines" He turned to his Shas'El. "Questions?"

Karr stared at the fluttering hologram of the map. "No"

"Good. The transports are prepared and your troops are being readied, good luck. For the Greater Good"

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The Ork Choppa Boy growled loudly as he scratched his arse with the bladed handle of his weapon. "Oi!" He slammed his cleaver against the side of the anti air gun he was guarding, rousing the Ork engineer embedded in the side of the weapon from his work. "You done in 'ere yet?"

The engineer emerged from the weapon, his overalls stained with oil and grime and a broken gear gripped in his thick green hand. "Yeah- it's ready to goo"

"Boss! Boss!" Another Ork charged up the hill- his voice breaking with fear. "We's got flya's comin in"

"What you yakkin about ya grot?" The slugga turned to face the Ork- ready to smash his face in with the butt of his weapon if his interruption turned out to be fruitless.

"Dem aliens! Their flyers are coming at us!"

"Uggh" The slugga raised his blade, ready to strike. But instead opted to shoot the offending subordinate in the face with his pistol, his bloodied corpse stained the long grass. He quickly mounted the turret- bringing the crudely constructed weapon to bear on the specks of light he see emerging from the sky- each would soon materialize into a deadly Tau craft. "Fire! Fire!" he cried to the engineer, calling for him to engage the weapon.

The engineer obeyed, allowing him to let fly with the first volley of rockets.

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The fleet of Orca transports and accompanying Barracuda escorts descended towards the surface of Kaurava II with precision speed and stealth.

Karr walked through the crowded crew compartment, watching as her Fire Warriors went about their pre-war rituals- checking and rechecking their weapons, chanting the Fire Songs of their Cadre or simply envisioning their movements once the hatch lowered. She stepped through the divide into the cockpit, watching over the shoulders of the Air Caste pilots controlling the craft. "Are we clear to insert?"

"Yes Shas'El- so far the Ork's have not been alerted to our presence. Barring any major set backs we should make planet fall within 10 minutes" The pilot seemed confident- but Karr knew that no plan survived contact with the enemy.

"Very well" Karr left the cockpit. But before she could take her seat amongst her comrades she was flung to the deck. The accompanying cries of alarms and the flurry of yells emanating from the cockpit told Karr that the situation had now hit the dirt before they could. She scrambled to an open seat- strapping her into the bench strutting from the wall. The room became quiet- no Fire chants, no clicks of engaged weapons. Just silence.

************************************

In the cockpit of the Orca the pilots fought for control of their wavering craft. But the strike against the rear engine had paralysed their control, and the craft was losing altitude far faster than any of them would have liked.

"_Orca Dropship Two-Zero, you're losing altitude fast- pull up_" The formation commander cried into their com link.

"Negative commander. We've lost control of our craft and are going down over grid Zebra-Niner. We require assistance" Another round impacted the ships side and the com link went dead. The pilots attempted to direct the ship away from the remainder of the formation, to avoid their damaged craft endangering any other of their Cadre. Their only hope was that the remnants of the assault force made ground and managed to find them. That was their only hope.

The flaming craft scraped against the tree line- igniting the fragile leaves and removing the tops of some of the taller plants. The harsh impact soon followed.

*************************************

Karr awoke with a throbbing pain tearing through her body. She attempted to open her eyes- but the blinding light shining down on her forced her eye lids shut before the pain overwhelmed her.

She pulled herself to her feet- her muscles groaning and aching with the strain. Her surroundings were similar and yet entirely different- the pristine metal was now broken and scarred with fire and blood. The rows of seats that had housed brave fire warriors and their tools for expanding the Greater Good were now breaking or broken. The floor was littered with corpses and destroyed equipment.

The wind still carried the unmistakable harsh crash of Ork artillery- the horrible sound was strangely reassuring, as AA fire meant there was still a Tau aerial presence for them to fire at. The question was for how long it would last.

She checked her squad roster on her HUD- all other inhabitants of the dropship were KIA. She attempted to access her COM, but all that returned on the channels was static. She couldn't risk launching a visual flare- she didn't know if the remainder of the assault force had made it down or if she would just be alerting the Ork's that they still had a stray Tau to remove. So instead she decided to gather what salvageable equipment remained and attempt to make the rendezvous point before she was discovered.

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Karr thrust herself into the dirt- bringing the sight of her rifle up to her eye, her finger twitching against the trigger. She stared down the wet, foliage covered bank to the dirt track at its base. Like a stain upon the surface of a river a convey of crudely constructed Ork vehicles meandered through the valley beneath her.

Karr followed their predicted path- noticing the gentle whisps of smoke rising from the ground. The smoke was far too small and consistent to be from a crash. That had only one indication- civilisation.

Karr suddenly snapped around- a movement in the woods behind her. She brought her pulse rifle up- holding fire lest she waste ammo and only draw more attention to herself. Instead she opted to go for the silent, stealth approach, securing her pulse rifle to her back and drawing her bladed forearm's up into a fighting stance. She listened, watching. A shadow moved, she launched for it. She only encountered tree bark. Another shadow moved, she launched for it. This time however her target collapsed under their combined weight. Karr wrapped a tight hold around her adversary. Whatever she had clutched onto was far too soft and thin to be an Ork. The two of them collapsed amongst the dark brush and mud. The creature writhed and struggled weakly beneath her like an animal caught in the trap. They lashed out in random and uncoordinated flails- they most definitely were not a trained fighter.

"Hold still" Karr ordered, not even sure whether this creature could understand her. But when it finally surrendered she was sure it was due to what she had said, she attempted it again. "I'm going to loosen my grip. If you try to run or attack me, I'll kill you". It wasn't an entirely empty threat- she had already bested this creature in melee and Karr still had her Pulse Rifle.

She loosened her grip slightly, the creature made no attempt at escape. Her arms slithered away from the creature, her tense muscles still prepared to lash out again at a moments notice. The two of them rose out of the dirt into the light. Karr quickly realized the creature she had just bested was human. She was female, dressed in a rough mud stained shirt and trousers. Her dirty blonde hair was messily contained in a ponytail that cascaded down her back.

Karr took the opportunity to scan her surroundings, content that her engagement had not drawn any undue attention secure she returned her attention to her captive. "Who are you?"

The girl panted and wheezed in laboured breaths, the shock and physical exertion of the engagement having seriously drained her. Karr repeated herself. "Who are you?"

"My……" They gasped. "My name is Brianna"

"Why are you following me?"

"I wasn't. I was already out here when I saw your ship go down"

Karr knew she had to tread lightly- it was entirely possible that this girl was an Imperial Spy. If that was the case she was taking an enormous risk even talking with her, but the risk would only increase if she was forced to conceal a body not only from the Ork's but also from whatever reinforcements the Imperials may dispatch once they lost contact with their operative. She was going to have to be careful.

"Where are you from?"

Brianna pointed deeper into the hills. "I'm a farmer. I live in one of the small villages deeper into the mountain, with the others"

"Others?"

"My family and the other farmers" Her voice cracked and stumbled with emotion. "We're forced to live under the boot heel of the Ork tribes that live throughout the hills"

"What do they do?"

"Raid, steal, kill"

"I thought the Orks in the area were fractured clans and tribes, more content with fighting amongst each other than raiding defenceless villages?"

"They have a new leader, an enormous beast. The Imperial Guard have launched several attempts to dislodge them- but they're stronger than usual, more ferocious"

"Do you know where they make camp?"

She pointed to the mountains peak. "At the very top of the mountain. But it's all a moot point as they have guard towers and patrols throughout the hills to prevent any attempt at attack".

Karr was stunned. This information alone would be invaluable to the Tau assault force, if only she could find a way to get it too them this information. She couldn't risk asking Brianna about any of the other Tau she may have spotted, perhaps she thought Karr was the only one. "Is there a safe place around here?"

"I can take you too my village- you'll be safe there"

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Karr and Brianna stepped into the centre of a ramshackle village hastily constructed from the local timber and resources. The large cloak Brianna had leant Karr fell awkward on her due to her armours size and the differences between Tau and Human physiology. The design did little to conceal her identity from the surrounding onlookers. Karr felt for the cool comfort of her pulse pistol holstered at her waist.

"Don't worry about the farmers" Brianna spoke- it was as if she had read her mind. "They're far more scared of the Orks than they are of you" Brianna finally stopped outside of one of the houses. "Well this is my place" She paused as if waiting for approval. "I know it's not much, but it's home"

But suddenly Brianna's gaze snapped around, Karr following her gaze. A plume of dark brown smoke cascaded down the side of the mountain, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, heading straight for them. "You have to hide" Brianna spoke with quivering lips.

"What?" Karr was dumbfounded.

"Now" Brianna panicked, throwing open the door to her home, pulling Karr through the door. Brianna slammed the door behind her.

Inside of the house Karr was standing in the centre of a kitchen/living room hybrid. She stepped across the room, the cloak falling from her shoulders without her holding it in place. Karr looked through the small hole in the wall most likely designed as a window. Outside of the house Karr saw a convoy of crudely built vehicles roll into the centre of the village. The main chassis of the vehicles were Imperial, the body reinforced by plates of metal from dozens of different vehicle models constructed by several different factions.

The vehicles came to a halt in the centre of the village, their heavy tires eating into the soft, wet mud. Ork soldiers wielding bolt pistols and cleavers disembarked from the transports. The truck at the head of the formation opened to reveal another four Orks stepping out into the light of day. The largest of the group began grunting orders to his subordinates. All except for the three Orks protecting their leader the Orks each broke away from their vehicles and began smashing and shooting anything they could find. Their leader beamed with pride as he watched soldiers smash, destroy and fight over anything they found of value they could salvage.

The farmers could only watch from the windows and side streets in horror as their livelihoods were destroyed before their eyes. The Ork leader savoured the lines of stunned faces, savouring every free flowing tear and cry of anguish in the wake of his massacre. One of the faces however seemed to leap out at him- the girl's expression was a solid show of defiance.

The Ork stepped ahead of his honour guard. He reached a strong green hand out for the young woman wilful enough to oppose him, even on such a minor level as this. His thick fingers wrapped around her thin neck, lifting her from the ground as her feet kicked out wildly underneath her. She thrashed her long fingers against his thick hand in a vain attempt to pry his fingers away, his strong grip starving her of precious oxygen.

"Why ain't ya cryin like da udders?" the Ork growled. Brianna struggled to formulate a response, due to her wind pipe being compressed further and further completing a response was difficult. "We had Tau flya's comin' down after we shot 'em out of da sky" He leaned in closer, his bladed teeth narrowly missing her soft skin. "You see any of them git's round 'ere?"

Brianna attempted to elicit a garbled 'No', and failed miserably.

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Karr watched as the vehicles pulled into the village. Saw the destruction sewed in their wake. She felt helpless in not having the ability to intervene when she saw the situation begin to deteriorate rapidly. The Ork leader held Brianna literally by the throat, applying more and more pressure as time went past without him receiving his answer.

Karr drew her pulse rifle, bracing the weapon against the window frame. She placed her eye to the weapons scope. She had the back of Brianna's head centred squarely in her sight. She couldn't risk Brianna revealing anything she might know- about Karr, about the Ork defences, about the Tau assault.

But fate had offered her a strong moral dilemma. She would only be able to fire a single shot before the Orks learned of her presence and swamped her. She was grateful for Brianna's assistance so far, and her contribution to the Greater Good would not soon be forgotten. But Karr couldn't risk her comrade's safety for this girl's life.

Her other option was to shoot the Ork leader cleanly through the head- potentially saving Brianna's life and denying the Ork movement their leader, breaking the back of the Ork fighting spirit and clearing the way for the Tau assault. Her finger grazed the trigger of her weapon, ready to end the life of another being. She held her fire.

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Brianna's vision darkened, her body slowly being drained of oxygen and her muscles going slack from the sheer strain. It would only be a matter of time before her body surrendered completely.

A sound suddenly resonated strongly in her mind, reawakening her dampened senses. The Ork's grip loosened, allowing Brianna to gasp in the few precious molecules of oxygen required to retain consciousness. The Ork reached for the communicator at his belt chirping to life as the incoming message was received. "Wat ya git!?" the Ork yelled into the machine. A garbled message of grunts and insults returned, Brianna's weakened state making it even harder to understand their alien exchange. "Right ya grot" he closed the link.

The Orks attention was completely removed from the girl he held by the throat, instead turning to address his men. "Listen up ya grots!" In unison they all ended their looting spree and turned to listen to their commander with eager ears. "Doz Marine Boyz are attackin da foothills in da north. Da Boss wants us to introduce dem to da Waagh!"

"Waagh!" his soldiers cried in response.

***********************************

Karr watched with a sigh of relief as the Orks leapt into their vehicles, each of them laden down with fresh loot. The Ork leader discarded his captive at his feet, stepping back into his transport with his honour guard in tow. It suddenly dawned on Karr how close she had come to murdering an innocent that had so far done nothing but risk her life to save her. Was she so far gone that she would violate the teachings of the Greater Good itself in the service of its defence?

She secured her rifle over her shoulder once again, stepping out in the dim light of the systems slowly retreating sun that cast an amber haze over the destruction. She strode out into the damp street, not caring if her true form was revealed to the band of farmers that had gathered to watch the display.

Karr extended her hand, hefting Brianna to her feet. She staggered, her ankle having been strained in the fall. Karr lead her back to the house, each step requiring another string of laboured breaths to be sucked past Brianna's quivering lips. "I know…. of a weakly guarded route to the top of the mountain. You'll find the Ork encampment there"

Brianna reached for the doorknob- turning to look Karr straight in the eye. "And when you get there" A grin grew across her face. "Make sure you shoot that Ork bastard once in the head for me"


	3. Chapter 3 Boots on the Ground

Chapter 3- Boots on the Ground

Rain pelted the ground like primitive human artillery shells, quickly turning the dirt into rivers of mud. Karr clutched her cloak tighter around the bulky form of her armour, cradling her pulse rifle in her other arm. It had been a day of walking since she'd left the village at her heels and night once again covered the terrain.

She finally reached the edge of the dense forest, the foliage giving way to a slippery slope which leads down toward the base of the hill. From here she could clearly see the smooth curves of the Tau military buildings on the horizon as they seemed to rise out of their natural surroundings.

Karr leapt down onto the slippery slope, the slick mud sliding seamlessly over the flawless metal of her boots. She fought to maintain her precarious balance as she glided down the bank. She hit the ground running, utilizing her momentum to carry herself forward, breaking through the dense brush with ease.

She reached the border of the plants, the natural foliage giving way to an artificially widened clearing. Beyond she could see the perimeter wall of the Tau encampment. The gate leading through the defensive line was reinforced by towers, each rising up over the open plain before them. Karr could see the Tau guards standing atop their towers. These were keen snipers- ready to eliminate a target the moment it presented itself. She couldn't just step out into the open for fear they would mistake her as hostile- this required a far greater degree of subtly.

She reached into her armour pouch, removing a small emitter light. She clicked the device on and off in sequence, the small device piercing the veil of twilight. A similar response came from the tower- they knew she was one of theirs. Karr stepped out of the brush, the guard flashed his beacon in acknowledgement.

Karr broke into a run as she charged across the open plain. The gates yawned open as she approached; she passed through the barrier into the base beyond it. The metal doors closed shut behind her. Finally, she was home.

* * *

Karr stepped into the command room in the heart of the Cadre Headquarters. Commander Or'es'Ka was once more perched over the holographic projector displaying the local terrain- his keen military mind attempting to find some way past the current situation. He peered up to greet the new arrival. "It is good to see you made it back Shas'El"

"Thank you Shas'O. I am just glad that the attack force made landfall successfully"

"It was not a simple task, Shas'El. But as always, the Greater Good prevailed" Or'es'Ka returned his gaze to the display. "Hopefully the Greater Good will also assist us in removing these Ork's from Kaurava completely"

"I believe I have a solution Shas'O" Karr reached into the pocket of her robes, having surrendered her armour to the Earth caste engineers for cleaning and repairs. She pulled out the data chip that Brianna had given her, inserting it into the projector. The image seemed to move and crackle as it integrated itself with the new data. The projection eventually settled, with the map once again emerging up from the table. The mountains surface was now seeded with an array of models representing Ork turrets, bases and patrols. The coverage was incomplete, the icons never going more than three layers backwards towards the peak in any one area. But the positions clearly becoming more densely packed the deeper they went.

Karr was right. Along the far side of the mountain lead a winding red trail, which finally ended in the centre of the encampment at the highest point up the mountains side, its surrounding area devoid of Orks.

"Where did you acquire this information?" Or'es'Ka was dumbstruck.

Karr pondered revealing the source of her intelligence. "I have my sources" But decided that they were best left secret for now.

* * *

"Get down!" Karr flung herself into the dirt as the crude, spiked projectile flew over her head, sheering away the paint on the crown of her helmet. Most of the others of her squad were as fortunate as her, some however were not. Their lifeless bodies were a testimony to that fact.

The attack had proceeded as predicted thus far. Tau ground forces had fought hard to clear their way to the final Ork stronghold at the mountains peak, having lost several Fire Warrior squads and Kroot carnivore packs once they had encountered the Ork turret line just beyond what the brutes referred to as the 'Killy Spot'. Karr had never learned its purpose, but based on the savagery of the Ork's as a race she had some ideas.

Karr rose back over the rock she was crouched behind, bracing her pulse rifle against her shoulder she fired off another round. The shot hit an Ork _Flash Git_ directly in the temple. The sudden barrage of enemy gunfire against her position forced her into hiding once more.

The Tau had the advantage in this open terrain- the distance between their two positions made the Orks prowess with melee combat redundant. Karr's fire warriors were able to gun them down long before their crude blades could taste Tau blood. But these _Flash Gitz's_ were succeeding in keeping her own infantry pinned- the Kroot leapers being shot out of the sky and attempts by the Fire Warriors at counter sniping yielded only minor victories. Deploying the heavy artillery would take time which they could not afford to waste- Karr would have to punch through another way.

But it seemed the Greater Good had blessed her today. Karr watched as a Devilfish Troop Transport bearing a full squad of fire warriors crested the barriers behind her. The transport meandered silently between the rock formations, its machine gun peppering the enemy positions with gunfire. A sudden wave of triumph cascaded over the Tau line as they watched the Ork gunfire bounce pathetically off the vehicles armoured hull as the transport glided invincibly towards their position.

But inevitable disaster struck the Tau once again. The left engine of the transport exploded in a flurry of plasma. The craft wavered in the air before collapsing to the ground, defeated. All of the Tau troops scanned the area, attempting to decipher what could have caused this nightmare to befall them. But Karr found it first- an Ork Fighta-bomba strafed over the engagement. She saw another materialize out of nowhere- the craft diving as it unleashed its hellish payload on the Tau line. Karr could only watch as a group of her fire warriors was engulfed in flame- the smirking face inscribed on the crafts nose a final insult to their memory.

Karr would not stand for such disrespect. She opened her COM link. "Cadre Headquarters this is Shas'El Karr. Requesting immediate Barracuda air support. Designated targets- Ork Fighta Bomba's. Confirm?"

"_We read you Shas'El. We are dispatching Barracuda attack craft to intercept the Ork air presence and assume air superiority over the region. ETA one minute_" The COM link closed.

Karr returned her attention to her soldiers as they continued the fight. "You hear that Fire Warriors! The air caste sends support! The skies will be clear of the Ork menace in moments. Do not embarrass your Cadre by dying before then!"

A wave of cheers cascaded over the Tau line with rejuvenated gusto. She only hoped the help would come before their deaths did.

* * *

A reassuring sound rang sweetly across the mountainscape. Karr had heard this melody many times before- but each one was unique in its own subtle way. But always equally as beautiful. She looked up to see a squadron of Barracudas strafe overhead, their gun batteries letting fly with a flurry of super heated plasma. The crude enemy craft did not have the speed or manoeuvrability necessary to turn fast enough to engage them. The wing of the first craft was quickly severed from the main body. Its stability destroyed the craft wavered and quickly spun out of control- falling to the planets surface under the unrelenting force of gravity.

The Tau soldiers once again erupted in a flurry of alien cheers as they saw the burning wreckage of their enemy scar the landscape with the flames which lapped at its broken fuselage. With the time given by the sacrifice of his wingman the second and third Ork craft brought their guns to bear on the Tau fighters. They opened up with a flurry of machine gun fire and a barrage of rockets. The first Barracuda opened fire, its plasma cannons intercepting the crude projectile. It dodged to avoid the second volley, which subsequently clipped the wing of its unfortunate wingman, sending him into a spiral that forced it into the dirt. But with their ammunition depleted and their engines not built to out run their opponents the Ork craft found themselves easy prey. Their broken hulls soon littered the scarred landscape.

"_Shas'El Karr can you confirm delivery of support?_"The lead Barracuda pilot contacted her by her COM link.

"All clear pilot. Anti-air support is no longer required" Karr appreciated their assistance heavily.

"_Roger that. Returning to base for resupply_" As the message ended the Barracudas that had appeared from no where to save them made one final pass over the Tau line before vanishing without a trace. The Barracudas had done their part, now she had to do hers.

"Shas'O this is Shas'El Karr. Barracudas were successful and the area is now clear of enemy anti-armour emplacements. You are clear to dispatch the artillery"

"_Roger that Shas'El. We are deploying them now_"

Moments later, much like the Devilfish had done before; another group of Tau vehicles crested the rocks behind their lines. This procession was far larger and far more impressive than the one that had come before. At the head of the convoy was a Hammerhead gunship, its mighty cannon flanked on either side by XV-88 Broadsides- their powerful feet smashing into the soft ground beneath them as they lumbered their heavy guns into position.

Karr saw their objective laying just behind the Ork line- the Ork Settlement. If these territories were to be secured and the Greater Good allowed to flourish unabated that building could not stand. The Tau battlesuits stamped their heavy feet into the ground, the soft dirt moulding around the hard metal. Their rail guns lowered into place, the grey shell suddenly pulsing with dazzling blue light as the weapons came online.

The hulks raised their broad shoulders, bringing the heavy guns to bear. On some silent command they opened fire in synchronisation, a pair of bright blue orbs chasing their identical partners as they flew through the sky. The first pair impacted the wall closely followed by the second. The bright blue plasma washed over the surface of the building, melting away the crude plates which had been hastily welded into place. With its structure weakened and its supports began to cave under the sheer force of its own weight the Hammerhead gunship brought its mighty cannon to bear, ready to deliver the Killing Blow.

* * *

Gore'Gutz had watched the battle progress from his position high upon the mountainside. He had spent the entire campaign condemning these Kauravan Orks behaviour as 'Un-Orky' because of their previous strategy to retreat in mass to this citadel at the first sign of defeat. Upon reflection Gore'Gutz realized that that they might have had the right idea. Still, a Waagh! in which his troops retreated to cower amongst some rocks while the other factions got to enjoy a fight across an entire system was not one he would ever want to lead. He watched with a grumbled huff as his final base was levelled in a barrage of Tau gunfire.

His lieutenant cried out in uncontrolled dismay. "My Ork'hold! My bootiful Ork'hold!"

That was the last straw for him. Gor'gutz could handle losing some men- there were plenty left. He could concede Kaurava for now- there were other Waaghs to fight. What he couldn't accept was some runt thinking he was boss, even if he was trying to be boss of a beat clan. "I've had enough of this!" Gor'gutz grabbed the offending subordinate in his metallic grip, slamming him to the ground repeatedly before discarding the broken corpse in a shower of blood.

With that cleared up he turned to the matter of his escape. If Gor'gutz had learned anything from being pushed out of both the Lorn and Kronus systems it was to keep your best boys and a flyer standing by. Turning sharply and he was ready to make best speed out of here. "Come on boyz. Let's get out of 'ere"

* * *

The Ork defensive line had been broken. With their air support destroyed and their buildings collapsing in upon themselves the Ork morale plummeted. With their spirits destroyed the Tau fire warriors poured through the open breach, overrunning the Ork base in a sea of alien armour and feral Kroot fury. Karr lead her squad to the cliff top which overlooked the Ork base- watching as the others flushed the Orks out of the buildings and the caves. She failed to find the Ork leader amongst the embattled- his enormous size and unique weaponry making him easy to identify from amongst the others of the greenskin horde.

His absence only instilled her with greater confidence in their coming victory. Only one final objective remained before the Tau could claim this mountainside as their own. Karr unsheathed the Tau banner clasped to her back. She stabbed the pole of the banner into the dirt at her feet; stepping back she watched the material flutter proudly in the wind, with the backdrop of the smashed Ork stronghold extenuating the pride she felt resonating from her troops. They had won their first victory in the war for Kaurava.

* * *

Night fell upon the mountainside. Karr strode confidently through the bustling crater which now served as the heart of the Tau fighting force in the area, the hem of her dress trailing through the dust beneath her. She would have been crazy to do this hour's ago, when this citadel served as the heart of the Ork war machine. But now the crude Ork buildings had been torn down and replaced with the elegant curves of Tau structures.

Karr watched as Tau Fire Warriors and Kroot Carnivores went about their tasks- clearing the piles of debris and bodies which polluted the mountainside. She stepped into the air conditioned atmosphere of the Cadre Headquarters- finding Commander Or'es'Ka in his usual place in the war room. "It is good to see that your plan succeeded Shas'O"

Or'es'Ka looked up from the document he was reviewing. "Welcome Shas'El. Our victory here was primarily due to the courage and skill of both you and your men"

"Your gratitude is appreciated Shas'O. How should we proceed from here?"

Or'es'Ka activated the projector, motioning for Karr to join him. "Carefully. The Orks were only our first engagement; the system still remains heavily contested between the seven factions we have still to face. The next enemy we must bring down are the Imperial Space Marines. And I assure you that they will prove a far more capable opponent than the Orks"

He indicated the display- the representation of the Kaurava system overshadowing the projector. Once again each occupied territory was assigned a tint in the colour of the faction dominating area. While the southern hemisphere of Kaurava II was occupied by the Tau, bathed in a bright orange glow, the northern territories bore the fiery red mark of the Blood Ravens Space Marines. "While we were busy fighting the Orks, and the other factions fought amongst themselves, the Space Marines have rampaged across northern Kaurava II and have even managed to secure their hold over the previously Chaos held territory on Kaurava IV. This threat cannot be allowed to grow any further. We must defeat them"

Karr overshadowed the projector. "When we last spoke you mentioned that the Space Marine force is based in their orbiting Battle Barge? Why not attack the craft directly, remove the threat at its source?"

"A bold strategy Shas'El. But I'm afraid impossible. The warp storm not only makes it difficult for us to rally our fleet; it seems to alter and change the material realm in ways we cannot comprehend. This would make a ship-ship engagement unpredictable, and therefore dangerous. Instead we must strike here" Or'es'Ka pointed to the Lands of Solitude- a large jungle island, deep in the heart of the Space Marines territory. "If we can take their stronghold we will have struck another blow in the campaign for Kaurava"

* * *

"Keep firing! Keep firing!" Karr yelled. She let fly with a flurry of plasma rounds from the barrel of her plasma rifle before being forced behind cover by a hail of bolter fire.

Tau ground forces had fought relentlessly to arrive at the base of the Lands of Solitude. But the marines were proving worthy adversaries- managing to maintain an unrelenting bombardment against the weakening Tau force protecting this vital strategic point which lead directly into the heart of the Tau base. While Tau Barracudas strafed overhead, embattled with the Space Marine Airspeeders, Karr and her squad of Fire Warriors held the line against the enemy attack on their perimeter defences. Karr lay behind a layer rocks at the lip of the cliff overlooking an open plain, a line of four Space Marine Rhino transports blocking the narrow pathway in front them. Each transport was heavily laden with a squad of marines- the vehicles heavy armour protecting them against the flurry of Tau plasma fire and allowed them to fire out of the open hatch in the roof. When their weapon went dry the marine would simply fall down within the safe confines of the transports hull, another battle brother rising to take his place while he recuperated and reloaded his weapon.

This strategy made the barrage against the Tau line unrelenting. The Tau warriors could snipe the enemy when they emerged to fire but the thick vehicle armour made it impossible to strike those hiding within the craft. She rose above the barricade, her weapon arcing over the lip of the rock. She fired once before a concentrated hail of bolter rounds forced her back behind cover. Even if the Tau shots were fortunate enough to find their mark the highly disciplined marines were able to readjust their firing lines within moments.

"Commander Or'es'Ka this is Shas'El Karr. Requesting Barracuda air support. Designated targets Imperial Rhinos. Can you can confirm?"

"_Negative. Repeat, negative on air support Shas'El. The airspace over the base is too heavily contested, we cannot spare any support for the time being. Fight bravely Fire warriors_" The COM link closed. Her squad knew what fate awaited them now. But if they were to die, they would die fighting as servants of the Greater Good. There was only one way they could save themselves.

"How much longer?" Karr called out. One of the earth caste drones assembling listening posts heavy weapons looked up from its work.

"My processors are working at maximum capacity. But it will still take time before we can activate this installations primary weaponry" The machine spoke with a monotone voice far too neutral for this situation.

"We don't have any time!" Karr threw her weapon over the lip of the rock, not even bothering to aim she fired another round.

But suddenly the situation changed once more. The barrage of Marine gunfire started to waver and die. Karr dared to poke her head over the lip of the rocks she was using as cover. The two rhinos in the centre of the formation engaged their engines- pulling in front of their counterparts, opening a breach between the two the two groups. This was a strange move as it only served to disrupt their firing lines, halving the intensity of their barrage. "What are they doing?" A fire warrior asked his brothers, hoping that they might know something more.

"Perhaps they are retreating?" Another offered his theory.

But suddenly the answer became clear. Out of the brush behind the enemy line stomped the heavy metal foot of a Blood Ravens Dreadnought. The monsters right gauntlet rotated, open and closed hungrily. Its left arm had been replaced with a heavy machine gun. The weapon came to life, coughing rounds into the Tau line. The bullets cut deeply into the rocks Karr lay behind. The Tau were once again on the defensive, forcing them onto their back foot even more. "No. They were just clearing the way" Karr's words rang hollow in her soldiers souls.

The large mech stomped past the line of Rhino transports- the vehicles heavy weapon making any attempt at retaliation impossible. Even so Karr dared to expose herself- taking aim she let fly with what could possibly be her last and only shot before the Dreadnought killed her.

The face of the Dreadnoughts armour suddenly became awash with blue plasma. Karr stood dumbfounded, completely ignoring the danger she was in. Another ball of superheated plasma flew over her head, impacting the Dreadnoughts armour once again. Karr turned- the barrel of the listening posts turret glowed a bright blue. The turret launched another salvo of superheated plasma into the side of the Space Marines Dreadnought. The servos in the mech's legs melted and broke in the intense heat and pressure generated by the impact. The weight of the machine broke the weakened supports holding it upright, the heavy vehicle collapsed back into the wet dirt behind it. The cry of the creaking metal was the rallying call for the demoralised Tau soldiers, inspiring them to fight with greater ferocity.

The Tau soldiers threw the barrels of their weapons over the lip of the rocks, opening fire with a barrage of alien plasma. The tables had quickly turned in this battle, the Tau had become the aggressors and the Space Marines were now being forced on the defensive for the first time since the engagement had begun. A few unfortunate Fire warriors fell to the uncoordinated barrage of bolter fire but nothing could destroy the revitalised Tau fighting spirit.

The marines quickly decided to retreat. The Rhinos engaged their engines, the heavy treads digging into the wet dirt beneath them as they began to return to life. Progress was slow however- as one line of Rhino's was now caught behind the other and the cliff face, the crippled Dreadnought making such a complicated manoeuvre even slower. With the Dreadnought defeated the heavy cannon turned it's fury onto the retreating Rhinos. The cannon fired once again, the plasma impacting the side of the lead rhino, the brute force overturning the heavy transport with laughable effort.

Karr stood to full height behind the line of rocks, her troop's quickly following her example once they realized the threat had been eliminated. Some held their weapons aloft, cheering the victory chants of their cadre in celebration of their triumph as they watched the Rhinos retreat. Even against all the odds Karr and her Fire Warriors had sent the bastards packing.

* * *

Karr was beginning to tire of this environment. Warm, moist. Plus the constant looming threat of enemy ambush. Karr yearned to be back on the arid plains of T'au. To be home.

She stepped into the regulated atmosphere of the Cadre headquarters, once again finding commander Or'es'Ka perched over the command console. "It is good to see you again Commander" She said by way of a greeting.

"You too Shas'El. I apologize for being unable to provide support. You lost many good men in that attack" Or'es'Ka looked up from his display.

"They will be honoured as servants of the Greater Good. But for now we must find a way to end these brutal attacks before more are forced to suffer their fate"

"Indeed Shas'El. And I think I have found a solution to our problem" Or'es'Ka activated the projector, a representation of the Lands of Solitude emerging before them. Dotted across the map were glowing red markers. "This represents our current field of engagement"

Karr indicated the markers. "And these Shas'O?"

"Beacons. They seem to be transmitting signals shortly before attacks emerge from that direction. The transmissions seem far too random and uncoordinated, even for humans, to be messages. We believe they are signals for their drop pods to target, allowing them to deploy into the wilderness with rapid efficiency"

"And you think removing these beacons will slow their advances?"

"Exactly Shas'El. But removing these targets may prove far more difficult than we anticipate. The entire area is a network of tight passages and overhanging cliff tops. Our heavy vehicles and infantry platoons will be easily susceptible to enemy ambushes"

Karrs keen military mind engaged. "Perhaps instead I should take a small, elite squad and eliminate the targets myself with demolition charges. Our size will make us more discreet and less vulnerable to ambushes"

Or'es'Ka pondered it for a moment. "It is a sound plan. I give you leave to go- take whatever you need, armour, weapons, support. Just promise me that you will bring us victory"

"I cannot promise success Shas'O. But I can say that my men and I will give our lives to assure our victory here"

"Well. If you succeed then we shall revel together as we push back this human scourge in their own homes. And if you fail, I doubt any of us will be alive long enough to mourn our defeat"

* * *

Karr raised her clenched fist- the signal for the squad to halt. Her Fire Warriors crouched down behind her, each selecting a firing angle so that the entire surrounding area could be collectively observed between them.

Karr activated her optic scope. She could see the beacon from here- it appeared to be a small, unassuming radio transmitter. But the fact that such an important structure was left unguarded, in the centre of the wilderness disturbed her. But for now she would have to trust in her squad and the Greater Good.

She motioned two of her soldiers forward to survey the area. The others took up firing positions overlooking the open plain in case of an ambush. But when the ambush came there was nothing that could be done to save them. One of the advancing Tau soldiers took one final step before his foot suddenly exploded out from under him, throwing him high up into the air before the unrelenting force of gravity violently yanked him back down. When his teammate attempted to move to assist his comrade he too suffered a similar fate, their bloodied corpses splayed across the ground a testament to that.

The remaining Tau snapped their weapons into place, scanning the surrounding area for the source of the attack. But when none emerged and no second volley was fired Karr came to the only logical conclusion- she had just sent her comrades into a minefield.

Karr reactivated her optic, scanning the ground at the base of the beacon. Sure enough energy sources appeared clear as day on her sensors. "The rest of you, remain here and cover us while I plant the charges" Each soldier gave her a curt nod before moving off to take up firing positions.

Karr took the leap of faith and stepped down into the wet clearing. She kept her weapon tight against her chest, scanning the surrounding area for threats brave enough to emerge to challenge her. She kept her eyes pinned to her feet, her optic showing the mines around her as she manoeuvred to avoid them. But despite her faith in her senses and her squad that didn't change the fact that she was standing in the middle of an open clearing, in a minefield, with no cover, with a heavy backpack of high explosives strapped to her back.

She knelt over one of the Tau soldiers, praying that by some miracle some essence of life remained within fallen brothers. But sadly death had already taken its hold over them. They had fought well and died honourably- they deserved a proper burial. But with their deaths their seven man squad was now reduced to five.

Karr knelt down at the base of the beacon, touching the cool surface she could almost feel the energy pulse against the devices surface. She reached into her pack, retrieving a mould of explosive. She planted the charge at the base of the device. But as she reached into her pack to retrieve the second charge the machine suddenly came to life before her. Karr stumbled backwards, her weapon raised in subconscious preparation.

The dish of the beacon groaned to life, its surface pulsing with waves of blue energy. Antennae began to rise from the structure with a gentle hum. Karr dreaded what this meant. "Fire warriors, do you see anything?"

"_Negative Shas'El_" One of her squad replied.

"_Wait, I think I see something. Enemy drop pods incoming!_" The background noise in the COM was awash with the sharp clicks and crashes of metal against metal as the fire warriors readied themselves for battle.

"Open fire upon them as soon as they disembark. I will set the final charge. Once that is done I will get clear of the blast radius and detonate the explosives"

"Good luck Shas'El. And may the Greater Good provide" She closed the COM link, returning to her work.

She could hear the gentle hum of the vehicles engines being carried on the wind- she wouldn't allow it distract her. The final charge was in place. The drop pods impacted all around her, the thundering crash and quake which reverberated through the ground signalled their arrival. She was surrounded- trapped.

The Tau were the first to fire. As soon as the drop pods impacted, their hatches opening like a flower in bloom, the soldiers marching out like the embodiments of the ancient gods of war with a divine aura radiating off of their scarred armour. But the heavenly silence was broken as the concealed Tau soldiers suddenly opened fire, showering the marines in a hail of blue plasma.

Immediately the marine's divine aura was shattered. They fell to their knee or scrambled behind cover as they returned fire with trained precision and co-ordination. While half of them fired a hail of gunfire against the concealed Tau position the others kept Karr pinned behind the relay.

Karr could not even return fire on them, their bullets sheared so close to the relay on all sides that some strays even punctured straight through the thin metal casing, ensuring that escape from any direction was impossible. She could hear the gentle _zzzmmm _of heated plasma as her fire warriors returned fire on the enemy. She could feel a sense of loss and betrayal wash over her, while they were fighting and dying in service to the Greater Good she sat cowering behind cover like a whipped Kroot Hound. And there was nothing she could do to change that.

Suddenly she could hear the unmistakable sound of metal pinging off metal at high speed. The impacts were the sound of bullets striking directly in the centre of the relay's hardened casing. They were far too numerous to be strays. Her worst fears were soon realized as gapping holes were being torn through the scarred metal all around her. They were willing to sacrifice their own relay to be rid of her; there was no way that she could hold this position for much longer.

Rather than wait for the marines bolter rounds to find their mark she decided to take her chances, and charged out from cover. Immediately the marine's firing lines altered to track her. She could feel the bullets peppering against the back of her armour. She knew from the moment she had abandoned cover that she wouldn't be able to withstand this lethal barrage indefinitely. But if she was going to die, she would take her enemies with her. With that final thought she ripped the detonator from her belt and with it clasped firmly in her hand, she pushed the button.

* * *

Blood Ravens Sergeant Andreos always dreaded high altitude drops. The fear of being jettisoned from an orbiting craft and being hurled into the firing line with no way to engage or retaliate against the enemy as was honourable was crippling. The only comfort he could cling to was the thought was that as soon as he stepped out of the pod he would be marching out onto the field of battle to cut down the enemies of the Imperium.

He stepped into his assigned drop pod. His brothers gathered tightly around him in their confined compartment, some passing the few tense moments before the drop with checking and rechecking each others weapons and equipment.

The invading Tau forces were pressing into the Lands of Solitude, the centre of the Space Marines war effort in the Kaurava system. But an even greater insult was that the Tau were daring to attack the relay beacons the drop pods utilized, attempting to deny the marines on the orbiting Battle Barge the glory of service in battle. That could not be allowed to continue. That was why Andreos and the other marines were here- they were to insert via the drop pods and assist the already embattled Space Marines in defending the relay.

The hatches rose up from the deck, closing around them with a mechanical hiss, submerging them in total darkness. He could feel the stale tension emanating across the pod. The craft suddenly bolted and snapped free of its supports. A sudden sense of free fall washed over the inhabitants as they left the confines of the battle barge, only to be thrust back down onto the deck as they were yanked into Kaurava II's gravitational field.

Andreos repeated the first moments of the coming battle over and over in his head. He imagined what would happen as soon as the doors collapsed, the bullets skimming past his helmet, where he would charge for cover. He had it all planned out.

But something suddenly snapped him from his serene state of mind. A monotone alarm rang deeply in his skull, the darkness in the pod now illuminated by a dim red light which hung precariously overhead. The tech marine on the far side of the pod forced his way towards the control panel protruding from the wall. The craft suddenly wavered and bucked like a creature possessed, throwing men and equipment alike hard against the bulkhead. The Tech marine hammered away at the keypad, attempting to regain control of the wayward craft. His frantic movements and the panicked bucking of the craft indicated the situation was continuing to deteriorate regardless of his intervention.

A scattered cry came over the radio for the marines to brace for impact before the overhead light died and everything went black.

* * *

Pain cascaded through the separate layers of consciousness of Karr's alien mind. The fact that she was even alive to feel it reassured her immensely. Her keen tactical mind once again engaged, forcing her to think through a memorized procedure. She started small, flexing each of her fingers in sequence. When that proved fruitful she moved on to raising and lowering her entire arm, the appendage moved freely without obstruction.

"Shas'El?" She heard a voice calling out too her from within the darkness. "Shas'El Karr?" She opened her eyes. Her vision was dark and obstructed, a barrier blocking her sight from truly seeing the world around her.

She brought her gauntleted hand up to her face, trying to rub the obstruction clear so she would once again be able to see without construction. But her hand met an obstacle; she had entirely forgotten that her helmet still encapsulated her vulnerable head. The device had obviously been broken by the force of the explosion, the restrictive armour now only hampering her vision without the aid of its array of sensors to assist her.

She pulled herself up so she was resting on her backside. Her hands reaching up to the sides of her helmet, tearing the dormant device from her head, allowing the warm moist air of the outside world to cascade over her skin.

Karr's Shas'Vre knelt down in the mud next to her. "Shas'El are you alright?"

She shook her head clear of disorientation. "Yes Shas'Vre. What of the others"

"One dead. Another badly wounded, we called for transport as soon as the fighting stopped"

"What happened?" Karr rose shakily to her feet, accepting the Fire Warriors offered hand as support.

"The blast from the relay killed most of the marines. Those that weren't killed in the explosion likely retreated into the wilderness in the confusion. But they aren't our biggest problem. Before you set off the charges we detected a second volley of drop pods inbound towards our location"

The soldier pointed to the sky in a dramatic pose. "When you destroyed the relay the pods went awry and crash landed in the wilderness"

"Do you know what happened to the pods when they hit?"

"One of them landed nearby. I sent someone to investigate, but as of yet they haven't reported back-"

Their COM link suddenly flurried into life. "_Shas'Vre. I have found the pod. But there is something here you must see_"

* * *

Sergeant Andreos could feel pain rip through every fibre of his being, his super hardened skeleton and reinforced muscles the only thing keeping him in one piece. He began to take in his surroundings. Flames lapped against the damaged metal of the pod, charring it with dark soot. The scarred and wrenched metal of the pod the horrid counter-part to the pristine chariot of the Emperors space marines it had been last time he saw it.

Andreos reached down to his belt, feeling the cold reassuring metal of his bolt pistol. He tried to pull himself off of his back, but the muscles growled and strained with every attempt at movement. Eventually he willed himself to succumb to the unrelenting force of gravity and collapsed backwards once again.

Beams of light cascaded down on top of him, beaming through the damaged cracks in the pods structure. The streaks of light suddenly intensified, bathing the interior in a bright golden glow. A terrible screech of stressed metal against metal rang out in the confined space.

Andreos ripped his bolt pistol from his belt, holding the weapon out at arm's length, ready to face whatever dared to emerge. One of the doors of the pod suddenly eased open, blinding light cascading down on top of him, his augmented eyes attempting to clear the haze cast over his vision.

A figure emerged in the opening to black out the light. He couldn't decipher their identity, but their slender figure certainly marked them as non human. He let fly with a burst from his bolt pistol, his disorientation causing some of the shots to go wide. The creature quickly retreated like a whipped dog. But Andreos knew they would be back, and with more of them.

* * *

The pod appeared completely wrecked. Its structure was cracked and scarred with burns and caked with dried mud. The fact that it had even remained in one piece after the impact was astonishing. But yet even more amazing was the knowledge that someone yet lived within the wrecked debris. Karr approached the Shas'La standing guard next too the pod. "What is the situation?"

"The pod is wrecked Shas'El. As far as I can tell there is only one survivor inside the pod. They may be more, but I didn't get a good look. Someone in there took a shot at me as soon as I opened the hatch"

Karr pondered it for a moment. "Very well Shas'La" She yanked her pulse rifle off of her shoulder, presenting it too the subordinate as an offering. He accepted the weapon without hesitation.

Karr approached the pod, taking a few tentative steps, careful not too disturb the slumbering beast. She approached the bulkhead door which had been wrenched open by their previous incursion. She dared to peer inside. With her helmet discarded she had too rely on her own sight rather than the optics and night vision Tau engineering provided. She could see movement inside of the pod

She pulled back the wrenched metal even further, bright beams of light streaming down to illuminate the dark crevices of the pod. She could see the base of the pod was lined with broken bodies and shattered equipment. One of the corpses suddenly reanimated. His strong arm rose shakily up from his chest, a crude human pistol held in his iron grip. She froze. This human clearly did not have long too live, but he still held the cosmic balance in his iron grip. With one movement of his hand he could end her existence. Permanently.

* * *

Andreos could hear them coming. He could hear the clang of metal striking metal against metal as they ascended the outside of the pod. Their arrival was sounded once more by the terrible screech as the metal was strained open once again. He could see the light streaming down on top of him. As before the light was suddenly blacked out by a dark outline. But there was something different about this one; their form was even more slender and graceful than the first.

By sheer instinct he raised his bolt pistol again; his tired and broken muscles crying out for their torment too end. He held the weapon at arm's length, ready to deliver the Emperors judgement.

* * *

Karr stood frozen at the barrel of his weapon. She could feel her inevitable death coming.

But suddenly the marine let out a terrible, inhuman cry of pain which caused all of his muscles too convulse in unison. His body quickly fell limp, the weapon falling from his hand.

With the threat gone Karr lowered herself down into the damaged craft, her hands reaching out too clasp the humans exposed cheeks. What little she knew regarding human physiology told her this human would not survive long without expert medical attention.

"Shas'La!" She called out for help.

The soldier peered into the damaged craft from the outside world.

"Shas'La. Request transport back too base. Ensure that the cadre med-bay. Also ensure they have adequate facilities too deal with a human casualty"

"Yes Shas'El" the Fire Warrior went away to perform his task without question.

Karr returned her attention to the human, speaking in her alien tongue she was unsure the human could even understand. "_It's ok. We're here to help_"

* * *

It had finally come to this. He had reached the end. Andreos could feel his arm collapsing against his will, his bolt pistol slipping from his grasp.

He lay amongst the wreckage and the corpses strewn across the base of the pod. Without a weapon in hand and without the physical capacity to even move his arm these xeno creatures would find him easy prey indeed. He could feel the darkness engulfing his sight as he fought to maintain consciousness. He could see glimpses of the creature coming towards him, the glowing backdrop making her shine like a divine angel.

She clasped her hands to his bare skin. He willed his body to strike her alien palms from his flesh, but his muscles failed to respond. He could only lie helpless as their xeno hands roamed free. The alien enchantress suddenly spoke in her xeno tongue, most likely assuming he would not be able to decipher its meaning. But he understood her words, and knew that each was laced thick with lies. And suddenly the world went black.

* * *

Andreos could feel himself, as he stepped back into the realm of consciousness. But his mind was not racked with fear; he could no longer feel the warm pulses of fresh cuts and bruises. In fact he couldn't feel anything at all. His body was no longer tortured with pain.

He forced his eyes to open, a blinding white far more intense than the dim glow that had shrouded him in the pod assaulted his eyes. His vision eventually cleared, dark silhouettes appeared before him. These outlines eventually resolved into visible shapes and colours. The room seemed designed to resonate a calming aura to relax the occupants, which only served to aggravate his suspicions.

The room was all pristine metal; the walls were lined with alien equipment and devices. While their sole purpose appeared to be to heal in the hands of a skilled operator these could easily become terrible instruments of torture.

A door suddenly opened silently in front of him. Andreos instinctively attempted to raise his arm, only to find it remained firmly locked against his side. His eyes quickly snapped down to see the energy binding keeping his arm clasped tightly against the metal plate that he lay upon. When his gaze returned to the door he had found that it had already closed shut, a figure standing before it. They were Tau, female, draped in orange flowing formal robes with dark brown and crimson embroidery. Her fiery red hair cascaded down her back like a river of blood. She moved with a disarming grace and elegance, but he would not allow himself to be swayed.

She stood before him, her deep crimson eyes looking over him from top to bottom. "Are your wounds healing?" She spoke English with surprising fluency.

"_I didn't think my captor would come with much concern for their captive?_" he spoke the xeno tongue with as much fervour as he could muster.

"_You speak our language well_" Karr returned to her native tongue. "_Not many humans can_"

"It is a Blood Raven's duty to understand any information which may better serve the Imperium". He spoke the words in the proud human dialect. "And weaken its enemies"

"You are like a caged Kroot hound, so set in its ways. When the creature is young its handler binds it with thick metal chains. No matter how hard it pulls it can never break free of its bindings. It merely accepts that it cannot be freed and stops resisting. By the time it has matured the chain is replaced with thin rope. The creature could break it's physical bond with the greatest of ease, but chooses not too because of the mental cage it has emplaced around itself keeps it bound" the words cut deep into him, but his will was unwavering. "You are like that beast. You are so locked in your ways that you no longer even attempt to break free"

"You know nothing of humanity"

"You humans breed war from peace. You willingly fight your own kind based on minor differences in heritage, race, even command structure"

"And you Tau are somehow better?"

His words stunned her for a moment, she eventually composed herself.

"I must admit however that you certainly have greater honour than the forces of Disorder. She decided this exchange would best be delivered in the human own language. "Despite what you may believe of my race it was still I which saved from a gruesome death inside of that pod"

"But to what end?" his voice was laced with accusations. "Do you plan to interrogate me, indoctrinate me? Force me to betray my brothers too you? Well I'm sure you'll find that the will of a Blood Raven cannot be broken so easily"

"I assure you human; torturing you would yield little information of use. Your presence here is solely as an act of charity"

"Then why do you choose to keep me bound like some animal?"

"It is to allow your wounds to heal. You were thrashing about in your sleep, broke two technicians arms trying to pin you down"

"Then what have you done with my armour and weapons" he hunted for substance to prove these creatures ill intentions, for whatever closure it would give him before his inevitable death at their hands.

"Your weapons and armour are currently being studied by our Earth Caste scientists. The fact that they survived such an impact is astounding"

"Then what is to become of me?"

"You will remain here in the medical bay until your injures are healed. After that your weapons and armour will be returned to you and you will be free to return to your brothers"

It was not the response he had expected. "What?"

"I said that as soon as your wounds heal you will be released to return to your kin"

"Why? Why release your enemy when you hold them so firmly in your grasp?"

Karr had to admit that it was a strategically insane strategy, but she had already spared this humans life and healed his injured wounds. It would have been pointless to end his life now. "It would serve little good to kill you now human. And surely what could one more soldier to tip the scales of this battle? Either we shall triumph over you and your kin or we shall be routed. Ultimately, it matters not whether or not you fight us. And would you not prefer to die on the field of battle?"

"And what if I give my brothers intelligence on this base, on you?"

"And exactly who do you think I am?"

"Obviously someone with allot of prestige if you dress like that to meet patients"

"And how do you know that I hold influence? Perhaps I am second to the Ethereal himself? Or perhaps I'm just the one who just the one who dusts the consoles? Why should your brothers be concerned with me?"

"I don't know. But you certainly seem the type to hold some sway if you're releasing me"

"I would have thought you would revel in the opportunity to earn yourself glory in battle. Even if it forced you to accept help from your enemy to do so"

"It is easy for you to offer blind promises of redemption since you currently sit on that side of the bonds"

She looked down at the energy binds which kept him pinned to the gurney as though she had just noticed them for the first time. "Fine" She spoke with surety. Karr reached down to just below the bindings, touching a switch the bright blue lines of plasma suddenly disintegrated. His wrists naturally floated above the metal, moving his arm to a more comfortable position.

His animal instincts compelled him to reach up and attack his captor with his bare hands before making his blind dash for freedom now that his only thing that had kept him bond had been released. But the sheer surprise paralysed him and stayed his hand. And where could he even go past this room? He had no weapons, no armour. And while it was his duty to give his life for the Emperor it was not to waste it in a foolish venture. And perhaps it was possible that he could trust this creature, perhaps her offers of freedom were sincere. And in that case fleeing would be viewed as an act of betrayal, and seal his fate once more.

For the first time since becoming a Blood Raven Andreos didn't know how he should proceed. Mere moments ago his existence had seemed so clear. He was an Imperial Space Marine of the Blood Ravens Chapter tasked with slaying the Xeno's, Heretics and Demons that threatened the Imperium and to eventually give his life for the Emperor in return for an eternity in the glow of the Golden Throne.

But now his thoughts were conflicting. He didn't know whether this was the taint of xeno heresy taking root in his mind, or if this alien had at last allowed him to see the truth. But in either case he decided that the best course of action was simply to wait and see.

The Tau soldier seemed to read his thoughts. "I'm Karr"

Andreos was silent for a moment. "Imperial Space Marine Sergeant Andreos of the Blood Ravens Chapter"


	4. Chapter 4 Service to the Young Gods

Chapter 4- Service to the Young Gods

Karr had fought against Imperial Space Marines before. She had seen their unwavering discipline, their iron wills, the stone cold efficiency with which they dispatched their foes. But all of those paled in comparison to what the Blood Ravens were inflicting upon her and the remainder of the Tau forces.

The battle for the Lands of Solitude had raged for several days, and it was only now that the Tau was finally beginning to make progress against their enemy. The beacon Karr and her squad had destroyed emerged to only be the beginning. They soon realized that the entire surrounding jungle was littered with a network of similar Drop-Pod Beacons and Expansion Bases, offering the Space Marines on the ground an endless stream of reinforcements from their orbiting Battle Barge.

Even when the Tau finally managed to break the Marines defensive line the Blood Ravens simply maintained the pressure whilst making a tactical retreat to the next line, solidifying their defence once again. Even when Tau ground forces finally punched through to the main Space Marine base at the foot of the Citadel the Imperial Land Raider ended the Tau advance with a blunt strike. The mighty machine single handily devastating half a dozen Fire Warrior squads and Kroot Carnivore packs before a lucky shot from a Tau V-8 Broadside Battlesuit shredded one of the vehicles treads, leaving the craft vulnerable to the incoming Barracuda air strike.

The Tau had now reached their final objective- The Space Marine's Citadel. But now the tide of the battle was preparing to turn once again.

"Incoming!" The Tau spotter threw himself into the dirt, covering his head with his hands. Karr stood frozen, staring up into the sky, attempting to discern what the spotter had seen. The dark overhanging cloud suddenly tore, a bright glow descending from the heavens.

Karr threw herself to the ground just before the impact struck the top of the Hammerhead hover-tank, the bright yellow glow tearing through the thick armour of the tank hovering on the other side of the grey concrete barricade which shielded Karr and the spotter from the up wash of debris. She felt the superheated metal ping off of her armour. The high pitched squeal of metal scrapping against metal eventually stopped. She dared to look up, bracing herself on her knee, prepared to drop back into the dirt again at the first sign of attack.

On the other side of the barricade lay the broken wreckage of the Hammerhead tank, the Tau's most powerful assault tank reduced to melted metal in an instant. The spotter was already on his feet, his optic at his eye scanning the upper levels of the Citadel. He suddenly pointed up. "There! Imperial relay. They are using it to direct orbital strikes on us"

What was their commander thinking? Using orbital weaponry at this proximity would cause just as much damage to the Imperials as it did the Tau. "_He would see us wiped from the land, no matter the cost in the blood of his own men_"

"Shas'El, the Relay directs the strikes. If we destroy it, the bombardments will stop. Permission to deploy a Stealth Team to destroy it?"

"Granted" Karr said sternly.

The spotter reached up to the COM link at his ear. "Stealth Team One. Use your jump packs to reach the upper level. Destroy that relay!"

The return transmission was riddled with static and the sounds of battle raging in the background. "_We confirm Shas'Vre. Stealth Team One engaging jumppacks_" Karr saw the bright blue glow of their jetpacks through her optic scope as they rose above the chaos which raged beneath them. They seemed to glide silently through the air like wraiths ready to strike.

But their graceful flight was brought to an abrupt end, a snipers bullet piercing through the suit of the Shas'Vre team leader. The unfortunate soldier spiralled uncontrollably into the dirt at the foot of the Citadel. Another and another sniper emerged at the top of the wall of the Citadel, each dropping the incoming attackers one after the other with deadly precision.

Soon the entire Stealth Team lay dead at the foot of the wall, the Imperial snipers reloading their rifles for another shot. Karr turned away from the carnage. "Do not fear Shas'El, we already have another Stealth Team in position on the other side of the compound" The spotter reassured her. "However they are pinned by those Imperial Snipers"

"What are our other tactical options?"Karr asked.

"Our troops are pressing up the ramps either side of the Citadel, but they are still pinned down by heavy fire. Our Barracudas are currently docked at base for refuelling and repair and won't be airborne soon enough to be of much assistance. With this new threat, our troops won't last long under this bombardment" The Shas'Vre spoke, his voice laced with bitter defeatism. Karr now knew that there was only one option left.

"Shas'Vre, cover me. I'm moving to assist the Stealth Team" Karr didn't wait for a response before she charged out of cover. She stormed across the open battlefield, dodging Tau mechs and feral alien beasts. Super heated plasma and solid slugs exchanging all around her. Karr didn't dare to slow down. Karr eventually leapt over the lip of the crater, sliding down the wet slope. She broke into a trot at the bottom of the twelve foot deep crater.

The Tau Stealth Team were arrayed around the crater, each scanning a different area of overhanging airspace for enemy threats. "What's the situation Shas'Vre?"

"Not good Shas'El Karr. We are pinned down by those Imperial snipers. We saw what they did to Team One. They've already killed one of my men". Karr noticed the fresh corpse lying against the far side of the crater, the bullet wound through its side drizzling blood. "We need to clear them out"

"That is why I am here" Karr crawled up the slippery bank. She lay prone at the lip of the crater. Karr brought the sight of her rifle up to her eye, scanning the upper level of any sign of activity. A flash of movement, she fired. The shot hit the wall. Sniper fire bombarded Karrs position. Karr let go of the lip of the crater, sliding freely back into the base of the muddy pit. "I cannot hit them from this angle, I need to get higher"

"With all due respect Shas'El, would it not be more effective to utilize heavy weapons against this threat?" The Shas'Vre squad leader asked.

"It would Shas'Vre. But I am afraid the enemy Orbital Bombardment has crippled most of our heavy vehicles. Those that remain are already engaged supporting our main forces. And I'm afraid that requesting reinforcements from the base will take time. For now I am afraid we must fight this battle with our strength and faith in the Greater Good alone" Karr collapsed against the wall of the crater, taking in several deep breaths to recuperate while she pondered their next course of action.

Her gaze continued to travel towards the corpse of the dead Tau soldier lying on the other side of the pit. Just glancing at the corpse made the blood pulse inside her veins. She could not sit here and do nothing while good soldiers died around her. But suddenly she realized that, even in death, this soldier could continue to serve the Greater Good.

"Shas'Vre, help me retrieve this soldiers jump pack" Karr crouched over the dead soldier, she hated the idea of desecrating the body of a fallen comrade in such a way but sacrifices had to be made to serve the Greater Good. Once the jump pack was wrenched from the corpse Karr hefted the pack onto her shoulders. Her armour was not designed to accommodate this hardware and so its integration was difficult.

"Shas'El, precisely what are you planning?" The Stealth Team Leader asked.

"I'm going to use this jump pack to clear out those Imperial snipers. If I succeed, follow me up afterwards and destroy the relay. If I fail, contact Shas'O Or'es'Ka and warn him of this threat" The Shas'Vre nodded, it was the least he could do for her under the circumstances. Karr checked and rechecked the clasps on her suit, content that they were locked securely in place. She stood up to her full height, the heavy weight unbalance almost causing her to loose her balance on the slippery surface.

Karr engaged the jump pack, leaping clear of the safe cover of the crater and into the open sky. The jump pack wavered and rolled with the harsh winds. Karr saw the Imperial snipers sitting upon their snipers perch, raining torment down upon the advancing Tau soldiers. They were soon to meet their own Angel of Death. Karr brought the sight of her weapon up to her eye. She fired, the first Marine sniper's head exploded in a flurry of blood and skull fragments. Karrs pre-emptive strike also served to draw a great deal of unwanted attention from the surviving marines.

Their comrade's body lying at their feet instilled the marines with the raging desire to see their brother's killer brought to holy justice. The snipers turned towards the incoming attacker. Her armour suddenly became peppered with high velocity rifle rounds. Karr continued to return fire against the Space Marines, dropping a marine sniper with every other shot. A lucky shot hit her square in the shoulder, throwing Karr off of her delicate balance. An attempt to regain her composure was thwarted by yet another impact too her shoulder, sending her into a downward spiral towards the ground.

Karr crashed harshly into the dirt, rolling over herself and coming to a painful stop on the higher level of the Citadel. The last surviving marine Scout clambered to his feet. Karr rolled onto her front, bracing herself onto her feet.

The scout, the fury born of watching his team die around him burning brightly in his eyes, drew his combat knife from its sheath at his waist. He twirled the weapon in his fingers as he advanced menacingly on his downed opponent. Karr could only flounder helplessly in the mud as the marine stood over her, his blade raised to deliver the killing blow.

But suddenly, like the wrath of the gods descending from the heavens to purge the unrighteous, a stream of blue plasma tore through the Scout marines thin armour plating. The scout collapsed into the dirt at his feet.

A squad of Space Marines stormed forward, firing their bolters into the sky just over Karr. She looked up into the sky to see a Tau Stealth Team descending on them, firing spurts of blue plasma at the advancing enemy troops. The Tau troops touched down on the ground, each soldier fragmenting from the group in search of whatever cover they could find. The Space Marines moved into cover, returning fire on the entrenched Tau soldiers.

Karr tried to pull herself to her feet, to rejoin the engagement and fight alongside her cadre in combat once again. Suddenly she felt a huge weight lift from her shoulders as something dragged her to her feet. She looked up to see the faceplate of the stealth team leader she had met in the crater. "Fear not Shas'El. We shall deal with the enemy from here"

The Tau stealth team set the charges at the base of the relay. Once they were confident that the explosives were securely in place the squad quickly retreated behind cover. The Stealth Team leader crouched beside Karr, he held out a detonator for her. "I thought you would like to do the honours Shas'El"

Karr accepted the device. She hit the button. The structure behind her exploded in a plume of flame and debris. The dust eventually settled. Karr dared to look out from her cover, the burning wreckage of the Space Marines relay a metaphor for the Marine's inevitable defeat.

The destruction of the Space Marines relay quickly caused an end to the orbital bombardment which had been tearing through the advancing Tau forces with unstoppable brute force.

But now with their immense firepower gone, and with the Tau forces now rallying with revitalised morale after watching the selfless display of heroism by their fearless commander, the Space Marines were forced onto their back foot. Word had even arrived over the COM link that the Space Marine Commander Indrick Boreale had been cornered while attempting to retreat into the wilderness with his honour guard of Terminators. It seemed quite clear now that the Space Marines were finished in Kaurava.

Karr always enjoyed the calm after the end of the battle. It gave her the chance to shed her constricting armour and enjoy the wind blowing freely against her skin, the spray of the gentle rainfall cascading through her blood red locks. She smelt the air, the natural aromas of plants and the earth subtly intermixed with the artificial stench of burning debris and machinery at work.

Karr noticed a group of Earth caste scientists strolling across the now pacified Citadel with their Fire Warrior bodyguards in tow. A scientist would seemingly walk aimlessly across the recent battlefield, staring down at the floor as if they were nothing but mindless husks. Eventually something would catch their eye and they would reach down to retrieve a piece of discarded human technology. They would then pass the item over in their hands, as if appraising it for its relative worth before either securing the item in their pack for later study or discarding it into the dirt before repeating the strange ritual once more.

After observing it for a few rotations Karr was suddenly interrupted by a Fire Caste Shas'Vre named Taiss, who she had appointed in charge of the military clean up operation in the Lands of Solitude. "Shas'El, we have completed our sweep of the base and the surrounding wilderness for several klicks. We have detected no sign of the enemy. I have developed several Path Finder Teams to search for enemy survivors"

"Don't waste the energy" Karrs eyes never moved to acknowledge the Shas'Vre.

"Shas'El?"

"Our enemy is broken. Their commander is dead, their base lies in ruins. There is no need to waste lives only to further secure our stranglehold by hunting down the few scattered survivors like feral Kroot Hounds. Recall our troops. Allow them to recuperate, celebrate our victory and mourn those who are not alive to do so"

He saluted. "Yes Shas'El" The soldier went off to perform his assignment.

"Wait" The Shas'Vre froze midstep.

"Before the final assault began, I spoke with a Space Marine soldier named Sergeant Andreos. I was wondering whether there had been any indication of his fate?"

The Shas'Vre stood silently for a moment. "No such name was found amongst the catalogued dead, or amongst those survivors willing to talk to our Water Caste diplomats" Surprisingly the soldier did not ask as to why such a high ranking Tau would be concerned with the fate of an enemy soldier.

"Thank you, Taiss" And with that final word Karr walked away towards the Cadre headquarters.

Once again Karr entered the war room to find the Tau commander Shas'O Or'es'Ka perched over the tactical display. He looked up to acknowledge her. "You have done well so far Shas'El Karr" Karr stepped towards the display. "Three of our opponents have been removed from the system, and Kaurava II is now securely under our control" The display reflected this- the entire surface of Kaurava II encapsulated in the warm orange glow of the Tau. "But now we must turn our gaze towards the other factions still engaged across the rest of the planets of Kaurava. Unfortunately the warpstorm has made long range travel between the planets impossible. But I believe that we may have found a solution"

Or'es'Ka typed a series of commands into the display; the map zoomed in onto a territory on the eastern coast of the major landmass on Kaurava II. "When our forces took control of this region from the Orks we found an ancient Eldar Webway portal. We believe that this was once part of a larger network constructed by the Eldar for use in their conflict against the Necrons when they last awoke millennia ago. We believe the Eldar utilized them to instantly transport their armies across each of the four planets, and it is possible the gates may be used by us in the same way"

"Where does the portal emerge?" Karr asked.

"That is our primary concern. Each of the six Webway gates that have been discovered across the system appear to have multiple access points. The Gate on Kaurava II specifically links to Kaurava III and Kaurava IV- meaning that our enemies could attack us from either of those positions"

"What do you think is our best tactical option Shas'O?"

"Our primary priority should be expansion. The Imperial Guard, Sisters of Battle, Eldar and Necrons are trapped in stalemates across Kaurava I and Kaurava III. But these conflicts will not last forever, and when it ends we shall surely be one of their first targets. I have also received reports of Dark Eldar war bands that have been harassing soldiers all across the system. The Dark Eldar attacks seem far too random and far reaching than to simply be raiding parties taking advantage of the chaos. I doubt they will pose us much of a threat should we encounter them". The Shas'O indicated the display. "Our next operation will be to secure the outlying Space Marine territories on Kaurava IV. With their command structure decimated, and none with none of the other factions managing to reach the planet, Kaurava IV is ripe for Tau control" Or'es'Ka looked up to face Karr. "And I want you to lead our forces there"

Karr was certainly taken aback. "Shas'O?"

"You heard me. I want you to take whatever force you require, Armour, Infantry, Kroot and Vespid axillaries, and I want you to secure those territories for the Tau".

"What about you Shas'O?"Karr asked.

"I am required here to fortify our defences against the Necrons advancing through the Webway from Kaurava III. You will be in full command of the operation" All of the previous operations Karr had lead had always been under some constraints, usually with her acting under Or'es'Ka as his second in command. "I will not fail you Shas'O"

"I know you will not. I have faith in you and in the Greater Good"

Karr had assembled her force at the base of the Eldar Webway situated in the wastelands of the eastern coast of Kaurava II's mainland, the enormous structure rising out from the charred and broken landscape surrounding it. Karr would have been lying to herself and her soldiers if she had claimed that she did not fear the coming storm. The Earth Caste had assured her that the portal would take her and her army to Kaurava-IV, but without properly testing their theories they would just have to place her faith in the Greater Good.

Karr trusted her men to follow her into the depths of the unknown. She took three steps forward into the shadow of the Webway gate and vanished from the surface of Kaurava II.

Karr dared to open her eyes. Wherever she was, she knew she definitely was no longer on Kaurava II. The land was bare and rocky, scarred and mutated flora brought on by the corrupting powers of the warp grew across the land. She glanced around to see her army assembling behind her. They stood in the ruins of an ancient temple, which if the statues rising high above her were any indication, was dedicated to the Chaos demon Bloodthirster. Shas'O Kais had reported encountering this beast fighting alongside the Chaos forces on Kronus during the Dark Crusade before the Tau was forced from the planet by the Imperial Space Marines.

"Shas'El?" A Shas'Vre approached Karr, breaking her from her trance. "What are your orders?"

She stared out across the open plains, as if expecting an enemy army to suddenly emerge from the overcast wasteland. "Have the Earth Caste begin constructing a base. Distribute our forces around the perimeter and deploy our Pathfinder Squads to identify our enemy's location and force strength. We do not have much intelligence of this region, and we cannot afford to be caught off guard"

The soldier saluted, and left to rally the troops.

Karr stepped through the sterile hallway of the Cadre medical bay. She passed through a series of guarded checkpoints into the secure Quarantine Ward deep within the structure.

Karr found the ward full of the usual Earth Caste scientists and medics but also a surprisingly large number of Fire Warrior bodyguards. She stepped past them and despite the apparently frantic situation they all made sure to part to allow their commander free passage.

Karr approached the head Earth Caste scientist. "You summoned me Fio'El?"

The scientist gave a respective bow. "Yes Shas'El, I am afraid we have a potentially dangerous situation" The Earth Caste scientist called over a Fio'Vre, who acted as his attendant, who lead them into a separate operating room guarded by another two Fire Warriors.

The room was dominated by a large operating table in the centre, overhanging lights illuminating the dark room. The attendant stood beside the operating table upon which lay a specimen covered with a sterile white cloth. "As you know we recently lost contact with one of our Path Finder teams deployed to scout the terrain" The Fio'El explained. "Another of the squads found their bodies"

The Fio'El nodded to the attendant who pulled back the cover, exposing the armour of a Tau Path Finder. On a glance the armour appeared to be in perfect shape, aside from a few cosmetic scratches and stains born of use. "The specimens are covered in small incisions" Karr looked closer, she saw that the armour was pockmarked with razor thin cuts, these points seemed to be beginning to fester with some kind of disease which was not of natural origins. "I have never seen wounds like this before. The incisions seem too precise to be Chaos. Eldar perhaps" The scientist circled around the operating table as he explained. "But the wounds seem tainted, as if corrupted by the foul touches of the warp" The Earth Caste scientist pondered the situation; he drew a data pad from his pocket. "The post-mortem examination revealed the munitions used were designed specifically to cause maximum trauma to the target, but at the same time maintaining the subject on the very brink of life, to cause the maximum amount over pain over the longest possible period. I did not believe even the Imperials were capable of such malice"

"This does not make sense" Karr interrupted. "The remainder of the Path Finder teams we dispatched have searched the surrounding area for several klicks and have found no trace of the Space Marines or Chaos. Or even Eldar for that matter"

"Well, Shas'El. I can assure you that it took more than a Feral Kroot hound to kill your Pathfinders" The Fio'El spoke.

The realization hit Karr hard. "Then that leaves only one explanation- there is something else here with us"

The Tau armoured column passed through the ruins into the centre of the forgotten city, long since abandoned firstly by the Imperial Guard and again by the Chaos Space Marines who had been expelled by their righteous brethren.

Karr always preferred riding in the safety and security of a Devilfish Transport- knowing that there were several feet of armour plating between her and the enemy weapons made her a lot more content about entering into an enemy territory she knew little about. Karr sat in the troop bay of the Devilfish Transport, flanked on either side by Fire Warrior bodyguards.

The convoy was composed of two Crisis Battlesuits escorting Devilfish Troop Transport carrying Karr and her handpicked fire warrior bodyguards. Karr had dispatched Stealth Teams into the wilderness to scout the area and identify the enemy base in preparation for an attack. They had found it.

The convoy came to a sudden halt. Karr was thrown hard into the armoured shoulder of the Fire warrior sitting beside her. She shook her head clear. The access hatch at the far end of the vehicle yawned open, the soldiers inside spilled out into the deserted street.

Karr looked around the abandoned street, the ruins of the buildings rising high around them. She glanced at windows, doors, roofs. There was nothing.

She opened her COM link. "Though we travel far from the sands of T'au, we stand together united with our caste- Fire, Earth, Water, Air, Ethereal. For the Greater Good" She stood silently, every moment that passed by was another moment she dreaded they had not made it, that whatever hidden evil had killed her first squad had claimed yet another. But suddenly something moved in the shadows. Her Fire Warriors snapped around to face the movement. The air suddenly shimmered, but Karr forced her soldiers to hold fire.

The air suddenly crackled with static, a Tau stealth team suddenly emerged out of nothingness. The air began to move to Karrs right, and then to her left. Two more stealth teams emerged either side of her- bringing the grand total to three squads. Zero casualties.

She approached the leader of Stealth Team One. "It is good to see you well Shas'Vre"

"Thank you Shas'El" The soldier indicated over his shoulder. "We have identified the primary enemy base less than few hours ago. Their forces are comprised of heavy infantry, light vehicles and base defences concentrated around their base perimeter. A fast, hard strike should allow us to wipe them from the system for good"

"Very good Shas'Vre" Karr turned to face her soldiers. "I shall lead the Fire Warriors into the heart of the base supported by the Devilfish and Crisis suits. Stealth teams will attack the base from all other sides. Fight for your Cadre and the Greater Good will provide" she cheered, rallying her soldiers. They cheered in response, raising their weapons above their heads in fiery admiration.

Karr charged down the deserted street. The Stealth Teams engaged their jump packs, blazing ahead of the main force towards their objective. Karr quickly made chase in an attempt to keep pace with them, weaving and dodging around the scattered debris littering the pathway. She rounded the corner and was suddenly frozen in place.

Karr had served in the Tau military ever since she had come of age to enter the Cadre academy. She had fought across hundreds of worlds, fought in dozens of campaigns and been witness to thousands of unimaginable atrocities. But this was something she had never seen before. The last Space Marine stronghold in the Kaurava system laid in ruins, the corpses of their soldiers and the broken chassis's of their vehicles lay scattered around the base.

Karr warily stepped forward into the open square, flanked on either side by her Fire Warrior escort, the Devilfish transport and Crisis Suits hovering behind them. Karr stepped forward into the base perimeter, no sign of any living marines or those who may have slain their comrades. Karr opened the COM link "Stealth Teams, any sign of enemy contact?"

She glanced around; she noticed the tranquil blue flash of their jump packs as they moved over the impassable terrain. "_Negative Shas'El. We have found only corpses, no indication of what killed them. We are moving to a secure vantage point to survey the area_"

Karr did not like this situation. This territory felt evil, almost tainted. It was not long ago that this was the heart of Chaos in the system. Karr at least took some meagre comfort in knowing that Or'es'Ka would soon arrive with reinforcements to bolster her strained forces.

Karr casually walked through the remainder of the Space Marine's base- between the broken and scorched remains of the buildings laid the scattered corpses who told a tale of this outpost's last desperate attempt to survive an enemy ambush against impossible odds. Karr found a Space Marine corpse lying at her feet. Karr knelt over the body, the marine was lying on his side, his pose displaying his pose at the time of his death. Karr placed her Pulse Rifle down on the ground next to her. She put her hand on the marines shoulder, rolling him onto his back. The front of his armour was smeared heavily with dried mud, but was otherwise intact. She brushed the mud away, beneath it she could make out fine incisions pocketing his chest plate. The same marks left in the wake by the same creature that had slaughtered her path finder team in the Tristain Plains. She shook her head clear, retrieving her rifle and continuing her search through the enemy base.

She found an even greater clue to the identity of her mystery attacker. Another broken and bloodied body of a former space marine lay dead at her feet. The discerning feature about this marine was that he had a flagpole jammed through his torso. The pole supported a large banner fluttering lightly in the breeze. The material had dim purple background, embroiled with the blood red face of a demon. It seemed oddly familiar, but Karr simply could not identify it.

"_Shas'El_" One of her lieutenants came over the COM, breaking her serene tranquillity. "_I just lost communications with Stealth Team Three_"

Karr opened her COM. "Stealth Teams One and Two, we just lost contact with Stealth Team Three. What's your status?"

"_All clear to the west Shas'El. No sign of the ene-_" Stealth Team One was cut off, Karr could swear she heard a gurgled cry before the transmission ended.

Karr glanced back at the corrupted eyes of the demon portrayed in the banner. She suddenly remembered. She turned and ran back towards the Devilfish, screaming frantically. "Everyone get back, retreat! The enemy is-" Her words were drowned out by the sound of demonic cries.

She looked up into the sky to see creatures on broad metal wings descending, raining death down upon the helpless Tau soldiers beneath them. The Dark Eldar Scourge squad touched down in the centre of the decimated Space Marine base. They sprayed fire onto the confused Fire Warriors as they scrambled for cover. The Devilfish's riot gun came to life, accompanied by the Crisis Suits they forced the Scourges into cover and allowed the Fire Warriors to retaliate.

A warp beast pack suddenly charged out of the surrounding ruins, their glowing blue eyes hungry for sustenance. The Fire Warriors opened fire on the advancing beasts. The agile creatures simply managed to dodge the incoming alien plasma rounds with ease. The creature leading the pack took a round, collapsing into the dirt and rolling to a painful stop. The remains of the pack leapt over their slaughtered comrade, charging straight towards Karr and her pinned Fire Warriors.

The Feral Warp Beasts charged towards the entrenched Tau soldiers- forcing them either to retreat or face the beasts in close combat. Karr decided that they had little choice and ordered them to break cover, hoping that the covering fire from the Devilfish would keep the enemy pinned. Karr lead her troops back towards the safety of the ruins outside the central square. Karr dared to look back over her shoulder. The warp beast pack was quickly catching up on them, the lead beast leapt into the air, tackling one of the Tau soldiers to the ground. The two of them rolled through the dirt before the creature managed to emerge on top, the beast tearing its bladed teeth through the soldier's thick armour in moments to taste the sweet flesh beneath it.

A second Tau Fire Warrior stopped and turned. He fired his pulse rifle- hitting the creature straight in the head, the monster collapsing off of his dead comrade. Another Warp Beast utilized the soldier's distraction to pounce him from side. The Tau soldier was thrust into the dirt, the creatures bladed teeth snapped at him. The Tau Fire Warrior brought the butt of his plasma rifle up against the side of the creatures head. This only served to aggravate the creature further, its jaws opening for the killing blow. The Shas'la brought his rifle up into the creature's mouth, the Warp Beasts bladed teeth clamping down tightly around the weapon. The creature chewed on the weapon in a vain attempt to snap the hardened metal. The beast eventually decided to clamp its jaws around the weapon, throwing the device aside with one powerful flick of its jaw. Its way now clear to its prey the Tau soldier's last desperate act of retaliation was to draw his combat knife from his belt and jam it into the side of the creature's neck. The demonic beast screamed with primal fury, but ultimately the pain did not deter the creature from devouring his helpless prey.

"Base this is Shas'El Karr" She yelled into her COM as she continued to run for her life. "We are under attack at the Space Marines outpost" She frantically spoke through laboured breaths. "Hurry! They are decimating our troops. Beware! The Marines are not-" Karrs transmission was cut off as a new threat emerged from the shadows to threaten them.

Dark Eldar Hellions riding Skyboards tore into the battlefield, further complicating the fray. The menacing creatures swooped down towards the retreating Tau, one Hellion utilizing the sharp edge of his board to cut down a helpless Fire Warrior without even slowing. Some of the Tau dared to stop and fire at the approaching demons. One took a round to his chest from the supporting Devilfish, the rider collapsing to the ground, his skyboard floating aimlessly through the air before crashing into the dirt.

Having witnessed his comrade's death at the hands of that infernal vehicle the Hellion Succubus chose to remove the threat entirely. He broke off his attack on the retreating Tau, swooping around the rear of the Devilfish transport, out of range of its main weapon, emerging around its starboard side. The Hellion back flipped off his board, the skyboard arcing up sharply. The fine bladed edge of the board sliced through the vehicles starboard engine with minimal effort, severing electronics and armour plating indiscriminately. The board continued its curved arc, the rider rejoining his board at the peak of its ascent, blazing out of the descending arc back into the fray.

With the loss of one of its engines the heavy craft began to falter, its delicate balance quickly degrading. The craft could no longer support itself and crashed hard into the ground. The concussive shock from the crash threw Karr and many of her Fire Warriors off their feet. Karr came to a painful stop, her entire body ringing from the impact. Her body refused to obey her mind and soon her mind refused to obey her frantic attempt to remain conscious.

Her entire body was wracked with pain. That simply meant she was still alive to feel it. Her senses slowly began to return to her one by one. Her nose smelt blood and plasma burns. Her ears heard the sound of footsteps all around her. When she finally dared to look up her eyes stared into the hell storm of oblivion.

The battle was over. Karr could only watch helplessly as the post-battle scenario played out. The entire area was awash with Dark Eldar Warriors and Raider craft. The few surviving Tau soldiers that had not been slaughtered in the attack had now been lined in a row, forced onto their knees. Behind each Fire Warrior stood a Dark Eldar Warrior. A Homunculus, what could barely be considered a Dark Eldar scientist, walked along the line of prisoners. The creature would occasionally stop in front of one of the prisoners, staring down at him. The Homunculus would then spout something in the Eldar tongue which would either see the unfortunate prisoner's throat slit with the combat blade of their Dark Eldar attendant or see them hefted to their feet and herded onto one of the waiting transports. Karr rose to her feet, stumbling as she regained her precarious balance. She was not even sure where she could run or how far reaching the Dark Eldar infection had spread.

Something suddenly pulled her backwards; she felt demonic hands clasp her arms roughly. She tried to resist, the grip only tightened. She brought her elbow back past her side, striking something behind her, hard. Whatever was constraining her suddenly released. Karr turned sharply, bringing the sharp edge of her forearm blade across her adversary's torso. The blade stabbed into the chest plate of a Dark Eldar Warrior behind her. The creature recoiled back in shock and pain, the sharp withdrawing of the blade destroying his internal organs. The guard collapsed dead at Karrs feet.

Karr knew that this would not go unnoticed, and if she was going to survive she would need to free the entrapped prisoners. She charged towards the Homunculus standing over the Tau prisoners, her bladed forearms ready to deliver the killing blow.

The Homunculus suddenly snapped around, it's bladed hand outstretched in front of him. The physical incarnation suddenly extended into an arc of poisonous gas emanating from the monsters hand. Karr threw herself to the ground, the poisonous toxin passing harmlessly over her head. Karr braced herself to leap back onto her feet, but something clasped onto her shoulders. Something dragged her roughly to her feet, she attempted to break free of the bond but the warriors grip on her was tight.

The Homunculus stepped towards the newly acquired prisoner. "Well, well" He placed the edge of his bladed fingers to her cheek. "What do we have here?" She smacked the 'Hand' away with the sharp flick of her chin. "Oh ho, a live one. I'm sure Archon Tahril will be anxious to meet you"

Dark Eldar Archon Tharil stepped through the recent battlefield, savouring the battle lust and pain still pungent in the air. But some new and fiery aura broke his delightful trance. He noticed the brawl occurring between a prisoner and some of his guards, this intrigued him.

"Homunculus!" He spoke with a piercing voice.

Karr suddenly froze, the guards managing to secure a firm hold over her. The Homunculus stepped back, bowing to the Archon. "Archon. I was just appraising our latest spoils, when a specimen that had passed under my gaze made a bold attempt on my life" The Homunculus cackled as if the prospect of death was the galaxies eternal joke. "What will you decide for her fate Archon?"

The Archon passed his gaze over the rebellious Tau prisoner. He stepped in front of her, his large armoured form casting a deadly shadow. His tongue clicked against the roof of his mouth as he judged her worth. "It is a fine specimen" He raised a bladed hand to her cheek, running his metal fingers through her long flowing hair. "And she has fire within her. She is far too valuable to die with the rest of these whelps. Although we will have to-"

"Archon!" A guard charged forward to meet him, hurriedly saluting. "We have detected a large force of Tau passing through the western Webway gate in the Tristain Plains. They are advancing quickly and should arrive here in just under twelve hours" Karr beamed at the prospect of salvation. There was hope for her and her captured soldiers.

In one fluid movement Tharil drew his pistol from his belt and shot the offending subordinate in the head. With a mournful sigh he returned the weapon to its holster. "An eternity away. It truly pains me to leave this place. It has such a strong, primal connection to the warp. This place overflows with untapped potential, the chaotic evils being nurtured to life by the forces of Chaos. How I would have loved to see this place at its peak, before the misguided Imperial fools dared to dispatch the insolent worshippers of the Heretic gods before we had the pleasure" Tharil suddenly stiffened, his voice returning to his commanding tone. "But it is no matter; the decks of our Raiders are already laid heavy with spoils". He snapped around to face the Homunculus. "Rally the soldiers- tell them to gather what worthwhile spoils remain and load them into the Raiders. We are returning to Lacunae"

The Homunculus stepped forward. "Archon, what shall we do with the remainder of the prisoners?" he indicated the line of Tau soldiers he still had yet to decide upon.

Tharil turned to face Karr, an evil sneer growing across his face. "Kill them" He said coldly.

Her anger took over her. She pulled and resisted against the hold of the guards, but their iron grip held. They dragged her backwards thrashing and yelling with wild swings in a desperate attempt to break free from their hold.

Archon Tharil stepped out into the centre of the captured public square. "Plant our flag here; leave it to fly against the blood stained sky surrounded by the bloodied bodies of the fallen as a warning to others that they too shall be next on my bloody tally"

Eventually Karr surrendered turning and allowing them to walk her to her fate. Karrs heart sank as she was brought before the Dark Eldar Raider, the craft flanked on either side by Reaver Jetbike escorts. The sound of blades cutting through flesh was the final testament to her captured comrades.

The lead Devilfish transport came to a halt just on the edge of the public square, it's escort force of Hammerhead gunships coming to rest alongside it.

Shas'O Or'es'Ka and his elite squad of Fire Warrior bodyguards stepped out of the troop bay, the squad forming a defensive circle around their leader. The remainder of his forces, composed primarily of Tau warriors supported by Kroot and Vespid auxiliaries, took up positions across the open space. Stealth Teams and Vespid strains leapt up onto the roofs of some of the semi-intact buildings surrounding them in order to gain a better vantage point.

Or'es'Ka stood at the edge of what had once been the Imperial Space Marine outpost. The buildings were now in ruins, the armour plating scorched with the burns of fires which had since exhausted themselves and died. The wreckage was quickly being consumed by warp spawn plants. Or'es'Ka walked into the centre of the base, his honour guard following him closely. The ground was littered with broken equipment and the corpses of both Tau and Space Marine soldiers. The last transmission from Shas'El Karr had come from this base, she had said an unknown enemy had overwhelmed her forces and she required immediate assistance. Now little evidence of them remained, or whatever had wreaked this havoc. The forces of Chaos had once rampaged freely across this region. It is entirely possible some of their taint still remained.

Or'es'Ka walked into the centre of the Space Marine base, the damage worsening the deeper they went into the abandoned space marine base. In the centre of the base stood a monument to the horrors this place had witnessed- a banner covered with the piercing red face of a demon embroiled on it was pierced through the torso of an unfortunate Tau soldier, an identical flag planted into the chest of a Space Marine crossed the first in an X.

One of Or'es'Ka's honour guards stepped forward. "That is the banner of the Dark Eldar Black Heart Kabal Shas'O. We think they ambushed our troops while they were busy fighting the Space Marines"

"Shas'O" Or'es'Ka's lead scout approached and saluted. "There is no sign of the Dark Eldar or Space Marines. It appears as though our previous force lays decimated"

"And what of Shas'El Karr?"

"No sign of the Shas'El. As no survivors were found we have to assume she was lost in battle"

Or'es'Ka pondered the dilemma. "Reclaim what bodies you can find and we will return them to Nan Yanoi for proper burial. We shall mourn the fallen when the campaign is over. For now we must turn our attention to the remainder of the armies who oppose us"

Karr sat in the heart of a warp scorned wasteland. The high, sharp rocky cliffs encapsulated on all sides. Large bladed teeth rose from the ground around her, unnatural smoke billowing out of each tooth to produce a dark impassable circular wall all around her which effectively sealed her within her cell, cut off from the remainder of the galaxy.

She sat in her cell in the heart of the Dark Eldar held wasteland, surrounded on all sides by similar cages. She had been forced to relinquish her armour to the corrupted touch of the Dark Eldar scientists. Instead she lay dressed in simple sand orange robes. She had been left in her cell for what felt like an eternity. Minutes were like hours, hours were like days.

Ever since she had been brought here she had been left alone in her cell, forced to listen to the deaf silence broken only by the sound of patrols passing and the shrill cries of unfortunate prisoners suffering the torments of the Dark Eldar Homunculus's pursuit of 'art'.

So far they had left her to be, leaving Karr to the even greater emotional torments which raged within her. Both her past failings and the unimaginable torments which were soon to come. Her first chance to lead an operation had been a complete failure. Her army lay dead or captured. Her string of victories had come to an end. The scourge of the Ork horde and Imperial Space Marines alike was now a prisoner of war of a warp spawned race of hell demons and at the mercy of their poison bladed touch.


	5. Chapter 5 Saviour of Sword Moon

Chapter 5- Saviour of Sword Moon

Karr felt as though she had been trapped in this desolate wasteland for an eternity- an endlessly repeating nightmare. But soon see knew that her nightmare would come to an end.

For days now Karr had worked tirelessly- and now her work was finally about to come to fruition. Using the sharp piece of rock she had dug out the dirt floor of her cell she had begun chipping away at the base of one of the giant tooth shaped supports which maintained the dark fog which surrounded her cell and sealed her off from the remainder of the galaxy.

Karr struck the rock face one final time, splintering the solid rock into tiny fragments. Karr rose to her feet, discarding her blunted tool into a corner of her cell. Karr loosened her muscles, digging her heels into the soft dirt. Karr charged forward, throwing her entire weight against the weakened support. The unmistakable sound of splintering rock resonated through her small enclosure. Karr stumbled back, charging forward once again. Karr impacted the support, the weakened structure collapsed under her weight. The dark fog surrounding her suddenly dissipated, revealing the hell scorned wasteland beyond. Now that she was free Karr would show her captors no mercy.

Karr crouched behind a rock- her eyes and ears open to the world around her. She peered over the top of the rock- a single Dark Eldar Warrior was patrolling this secluded pass ahead of her. Karr crept forward silently, she was now within a breath of the guard. With lightning speed Karr reached forward and grabbed the combat blade hanging loosely from the soldier's belt. Before he could react Karr plunged the serrated blade into the exposed lip of the creature's neck between his helmet and his armour. The warrior let out a demonic cry as the sharp metal cut deeply into his flesh. The guard brought his left forearm back past his side in an attempt to drive his bladed forearm guard through his assailant's torso. But Karr maintained her tight grip on the weapon now lodged deeply in his flesh, following his turn and pressing tightly against his back. The warrior leant forward, lifting Karrs feet off of the ground and onto his back. He lashed out with both forearms, throwing Karr to the ground behind him.

The guard turned to finally face his assailant, Splinter Rifle still held tightly in his arms. Fire seemed to burn through the silts in his helmet where Karr expected his eyes to be. The warrior discarded his weapon, the rifle dropping into the dirt beside him. The warrior reached his gauntleted right hand up across his chest. He clasped the hilt of the blade buried deeply in his shoulder and, in one fluid movement, tore the serrated blade from his shoulder in a flurry of demonic blood. The warrior let loose with a demonic howl, seeming to draw intense pleasure from the pain which would have likely left any other creature paralysed with the shear shock. Fresh blood dripped from the tip of the blade, staining the ground beneath it. Slowly he began to advance on his vulnerable prey, his muscles twitching with excitement at the prospect of finally tasting battle after an endless eternity in limbo. The demonic form loomed over his helpless prey. He raised the blade, the knife descending in a sharp curve, ready to deliver the killing blow.

Karr rolled to the side, the blade expected to taste fresh flesh, instead encountered the hard dirt beneath her. The warrior quickly realized his mistake, pulling at the stuck blade in an attempt to dislodge it. Karr kicked the warrior hard in his side, forcing him to roll across the ground onto his back. Karr leapt onto her prey, bringing her fist down hard into the creatures helmet, encountering a completely solid impact she pulled her hand back in pain, her uninjured hand wrapping around her wounded one. Her eyes snapped wide open as she saw the glint of polished metal rising up in a sharp arc. Karr pulled herself back just in time to see his right arm swoop past her face, the blade in his hand slicing the air where her neck had previously been mere moments ago. Karr clasped her hands across his forearm, utilizing her entire weight to press his right arm hard against his chest, pinning his arm against his chest.

The dark warrior fought against the girl's superior hold over his arms, but a warrior of the Black Heart Kabal refused to falter to a xeno whelp. The Warrior continued to press his superior weight behind his right arm, his fury for battle fuelling his muscles. Karr had no such luxuries- she had spent days cutting away at the support in her cell, living solely off of what wildlife dared to come within range- her muscles ached and her stomach growled but still she persevered because she knew that the consequences of faltering now were certain death. Karr continued to press down hard- hoping to drive the knife closer to her opponent's neck but more importantly keep it away from her own. But she knew that despite the current stalemate this engagement would end only with the death of at least one combatant.

Karr could feel her weakened muscles begin to give under the intense strain of the engagement. She knew that she could not keep the demon pinned for long. But suddenly she saw something which revitalised her spirit, masking the intense pain seeping through her muscles. The wound she had inflicted on the guard had since worsened, both the removal of the blade and the exertion tearing the weakened flesh to shreds, blood spilling out to stain his uniform. Karr stared into his flaming red eyes- they could both see that the other was on the brink of faltering, but still they both persisted.

But eventually the loss of blood became too great for the warrior to overcome, and eventually his body simply refused to his commands any longer. Karr could feel his arm beginning to go limp, but his eyes continued to burn with intense fiery fury. Though his physical form died his spirit would continue to torment her mentally. Karr allowed the guards body to fall limp in her grasp, collapsing against the dirt floor.

Karr released her grip, kneeling over the body of her fallen enemy, panting in the much needed breaths. Her heart pounded in her chest, both from the excursion and from the fear that another guard would pass on patrol by and end her suffering. She had to find a way out of here. But then she realized once again that the Greater Good moves in mysterious ways.

Her alien feet left shallow imprints in the soft dirt as she walked. Her long confident stride helped to mask the animal fear which burned deeply inside of her; even the patrolling Dark Eldar Warriors paid her little attention as she walked freely through the garden of torture cages and holding cells. But then they had no reason to take notice of her, dressed as she was in the armour of the Eldar Warrior she had killed.

Donning the armour alone had been an arduous task, due to the differing physiologies between Eldar and Tau. She had concealed the body behind a rock formation and turned over the topsoil to obscure the blood stain. Finally Karr had to have removed the blood stain on the shoulder blade of the armour to avoid suspicion, but rubbing the mark with her dank slave clothes had only succeeded in removing a thin layer of the stain which still rebelliously clung to her. Now, her disguise still intact, she continued to walk unhindered through the demonic wasteland, maintaining her composure even as the cries of the damned rang out all around her.

Karr suddenly came to a halt, her gaze locked onto the scene unveiling in front of her. A line of Tau Fire Warriors were knelt down in a line- each held in place by a Dark Eldar Warrior looming over them, their hand clasped over the soldiers shoulder while their other hand held a combat blade. Karr was instantly thrown back to Kaurava IV- the line of condemned captives, the row of marauding executioners, the impending sacrifice, Karr forced to watch helplessly from the side lines as the dark act unfolded before her. But this time she would ensure that history did not repeat itself.

The warrior leading the execution passed along the line of prisoners- contemplating which of them deserved to face death first. The guard suddenly stopped in front of one of the prisoners- his burning eyes focusing down on the unfortunate victim. The guard passed the serrated edge of his forearm blade across his neck. The Dark Eldar Warrior responsible for the indicated prisoner pulled the fire warriors head back, exposing his light blue neck. The soldier chanted a fire song of his cadre, ready to face the eternal void.

Karr stepped forward, placing her forearm across the head guards chest plate, halting the act in its place. Karr mustered her sternest voice. "The Homunculus requests that this filth be returned to their cells- he requires them for future experiments" The guard stared into Karrs eyes with piercing gaze.

The Warrior inhaled a slow, deep breath of air. "You wish to deny my men the pleasure of their kills- to leave their weapons bloodless?"

Karr feared that his gaze would reveal who she really was- she knew that she would have to act quickly to preserve her disguise. In a flash she slashed her forearm blade beneath the lip of the guard's helmet, stopping before the blade drew blood. In Dark Eldar culture blades were a negotiating tool- if the other drew their weapon the weapons could not be sheathed until the blade tasted blood. In Dark Eldar culture holstering a bloodless weapon was one of the greatest shames. "The Homunculus does not abide failures or delays- and neither do his loyal acolytes"

The guard stared Karr down- refusing to falter to Karrs stern gaze. The stalemate came to an end, the guard raised his hand. Without question, despite their obvious frustration, the Dark Eldar warriors pulled their Tau prisoners to their feet, pressing their blades into the creatures back to force them to march on through the wasteland. Out of the corner of her eye Karr could see the face of one of the Tau prisoners being lead away by the Dark Eldar- Taiss! Karr had feared he had been lost in the Dark Eldar raid. Karr suddenly felt an intense compulsion to embrace him- to prove to him that his commander yet lived. But alas she had to maintain her disguise- no matter the sacrifice she had to make.

Karr, her heart pounding in her chest, stepped in into the centre of the Dark Eldar foundry, the heart of the Dark Eldar vehicle force. Karr hoped that she could find a vehicle which could take her to move deeper into the Dark Eldar wasteland. She hoped she could find out who was leading this pack of raiders- identify them, maybe even attempt to assassinate him. Alternatively she would even go so far as to try and entice a revolt or a covert jailbreak amongst some of the inhabiting the garden of prison cells lining the wasteland.

The entire hanger bay was alive with activity- captured human slaves repairing and refitting the Dark Eldar craft. The workers operated under the eagle eye of their Dark Eldar masters, receiving stern retribution from their masters whenever their pace faltered. Karr approached one of the guards. "Which of these Ravens is prepared to depart immediately? My spirit cries for battle"

"As do we all, brother" The guard indicated the Raven beside him. "Take this chariot of fire- the maggots just finished refitting it after its last fight. It should help to quench your battle lust" The guards gaze returned to the holo-tablet held in his hands" Karr began readying her for takeoff. "Training for the big raid?" The guard asked her casually.

Karr froze "Raid?"

"Nan Yanoi!" The guards' body seemed to convulse with pleasure at the shear mention of the moon. "Nan Yanoi! The system stronghold of those foul warp impotent Tau! Archon Tahril has declared that we will finally purge the Tau Xeno filth from the face of this system and this campaign- simply as target practice before we finally have the pleasure of eviscerating and enslaving the fractured remnants of the Imperium, the Necrons and our misguided Craftworld cousins"

Karr fought desperately to maintain her composure. From the few areas of this encampment she had seen she knew that these were not simply Dark Eldar raiders as she had first thought- this was a system wide invasion force. If the iron fist of this entire movement came down on Nan Yanoi in force she feared that the moon would be consumed by a wave of darkness. She had hoped that she would have been able to save some other prisoners or even attempt to drive back the Dark Eldar in their own territory. But now she would have to abandon them to her fate in an effort to save her race- she had to warn Nan Yanoi.

"Wait" The Dark Eldar Warrior smelled the pungent air in front of him- freezing her in place lest she drew greater suspicion. "Something smells, off, about you" The guard leant closer towards Karr- smelling the air inquisitively. "You carry the aroma" He hissed a breath past his lips. "Of fresh blood"

The mention of blood seemed to draw the attention of two other Dark Eldar Warriors- the demons becoming drawn to the scent which hung sweetly in the air. The blood staining her armour was beginning to draw far more attention than Karr ever would have wanted too. She knew that the subtle approach had failed her.

In one swift movement Karr drew her combat blade from her belt, catching the warrior off guard; she slashed the blade across the guards exposed neck in one swift movement. The guard collapsed at Karrs feet, Karr turned sharply, drawing her Splinter Rifle and fired on the two guards behind her before they could retaliate. The three guards now lay dead at her feet- more would come soon. Karr had to get out of here now.

Karr leapt into her craft- her training at the Cadre Academy allowing her to immerse herself with the intricate control systems of the Dark Eldar technology. Karr ignited the vehicles engines, the anti-gravity systems raising the Raven off of the hangers' deck. All around her Karr could hear the sharp ping of metal scrapping against metal as the guards opened fire, the bullets ricocheting off of the hull of her craft. Karrs Raven shot out of the open bulkhead door, leaving the hanger in a sea of chaos. She had a head start over her captors, but she knew that they would soon be upon her like wraiths in the night.

As if manifested by her very fears two Dark Eldar Ravens suddenly appearing on her tail, their guns poised and ready to fire. Karr increased her engines output, hoping to outrun her pursuers. But she soon realized her pursuers were piloting the same high performance craft as her, she knew that speed alone would not ensure her survival. With this sudden realization Karr dropped her altitude to hug the rough, corrupted terrain beneath her. Karr swerved and dodged across the scattered rocks and formations which leapt out of the surface to greet her. Whilst flying at such a low altitude was dangerous at the best of times but her evasive manoeuvring around through the scattered rock formations was preventing her pursuers from gaining a secure weapon lock on her.

Karr arced sharply upwards away from the surface of the wasteland, blazing towards the planet of Kaurava IV which hung in the darkened sky before her. In the dark openness of space she was an easy target for her pursuers. Karr strafed side to side, evading the Splinter rounds which speared towards her. The Ravens passed into the atmosphere of the planet- their hulls burning as they passed through the boundary towards the planet's surface.

Karrs craft passed low over the corrupted swampland of the Parmenian Heath, her pursuers were closing in on her, their shots were coming closer with each passing second. Her time was running short- once again she left her fate in the hands of the Greater Good.

"Shas'O?" The Tau navigation officer glanced up from his console, motioning for his commander.

After Or'es'Ka had first arrived onto Kaurava IV he and his forces had concentrated on discovering the nest of the Dark Eldar raiding parties who had been haunting them since he had stepped foot onto this accursed planet. Even with the entire surface of the planet under Tau control the raids and attacks had not ceased. With ghosts striking him from every plane Or'es'Ka had decided to base himself in the corrupted swampland of the Parmenian Heath whilst he co-ordinated his troops in the field until the situation was brought under control.

Or'es'Ka stood behind the officer. "Yes Fio'La?"

"Shas'O, I am detecting incoming Dark Eldar fighter craft" The officer recounted.

"How many?" Or'es'Ka asked.

"Three detected so far. They are coming in fast in attack formation" Fear was beginning to seep into his voice as the representations on his screen came ever closer.

"Launch the Barracudas. Prime the anti-aircraft cannons. Destroy them all!"

The sky was awash with alien plasma rounds. Karr was struggling to not only stay ahead of her pursuers but also evade the sudden barrage of plasma rounds which were erupting from the corrupted swampland before her.

Out of the fray two fast moving craft blazed towards her, their plasma cannons firing a flurry of alien gunfire erupting across the sky. Karr banked hard to the side, avoiding becoming caught in the fray as her Dark Eldar pursuers and her unexpected saviours clashed. Karr shot as far away from the engagement as she could manage, but the anti-aircraft fire continued to track her across the open sky.

Karr banked sharply towards the source of the anti-aircraft fire, her weapons charged to destroy her target. A complex of alien buildings emerged on the swampy horizon before her. Karrs finger froze over the trigger as she saw the design of the buildings, the insignia emblazed across the side of the buildings- they were Tau. They thought she was one of the Dark Eldar!

Karr knew that she could not evade this barrage of anti-aircraft fire for long, and once her pursuers were dealt with those fast attack craft would not be averse to doing the same to her. Karr opened her COM, desperately searching for the correct signal. "Though we travel far from the sands of T'au our castes stand united- Fire, Earth, Water, Air, Ethereal. For the Greater Good"

The Tau Barracudas suddenly emerged on Karrs tail, their weapons poised to attack. "To all Barracuda Pilots engaged over the Parmenian Heath, this is Shas'El Karr" Karr contacted the Barracuda pilots through the Ravens communication systems. "I am piloting the Dark Eldar Raven, do not fire. I repeat, do not open fire on the Raven"

"_Shas'El Karr is dead_" One of the pilots responded to her hails, his voice laced with poison. "_She died valiantly preserving the Greater against your despicable kind. How dare you corrupt the name of our great Knight with your demonic lies! This is our retribution!"_

"_All Barracuda pilots hold fire" _A stern voice silenced the fray.

"_Shas'O?" _one of the pilots questioned in disbelief.

"_Escort the Raven back to the Outpost_" Or'es'Ka's cool, authoritative tone spoke through the ships communication link.

"_Affirmative Shas'O_" The Barracudas moved into escort formation behind Karrs Raven. Karr had been brought back from the brink of the abyss- she was going home.

The Dark Eldar Raven swooped down towards the Tau base nestled deep in the Parmenian heath, the craft gracefully touching down in the hanger bay in the centre of the complex.

The alien craft was quickly surrounded on all sides by dozens of Tau Fire Warriors- some crouched behind supply crates and other defensive barriers whilst others defiantly stood out of cover. Their rifles all centred on the Ravens cockpit- ready to fire at whatever demon horrors dared to emerge.

The canopy hissed silently open, two long slender arms rising out of the cockpit. Karr slowly pulled herself onto her feet, keeping her arms above her head. She stepped out of the cockpit onto the hull of her craft, her arms raised above her head lest she provoke the Fire Warriors into premature action. The sight of a Dark Eldar Warrior standing atop their demon chariot was sufficient to send some of the greener Shas'La's scrambling into cover. Karr slowly reached up to the side of her helmet, clasping the hard metal of her helmet in her long fingers. Karr pulled the helmet from her head, a plume of long red hair cascading from beneath her helmet. Karr discarded the helmet at her feet.

The sudden revelation sent a shockwave through the Tau ranks- each soldier's weapon falling slack in their arms. However some Fire Warriors, convinced that this was simply a Dark Eldar illusion, did not allow their weapons to falter from their target. From amongst the assembled Tau forces emerged Commander Or'es'Ka. Karr could see in his stunned eyes that even he had not expected this occurrence. But suddenly a crude alien smile formed on his lips. "Back from the void, Shas'El?"

The galaxy had undoubtedly changed during her short imprisonment. When Karr had commanded the raid which had lead to her capture the Tau had only just gained a tentative foothold on Kaurava IV. Now the Tau forces encompassed the entire surface of the planet. But the knowledge gave Karr little comfort as she knew that the Dark Eldar were gathering their forces just beyond the sight of the Tau. Karr did not know their plan to breach the Tau defences but after seeing the extent of their concealed force Karr knew that if they were not warned, Nan Yanoi would fall.

Shas'El Karr, having once again been reunited with a fresh set of her Fire Warrior armour, followed Or'es'Ka into the main chamber of the Coalition centre in the heart of the Tau citadel on Nan Yanoi. The Tau Ethereal Aur'Ro'Yer sat on his extravagant chair at the end of the chamber, flanked on either side by Elite Fire Warrior Bodyguards. Karr and Or'es'Ka approached Aur'Ron'Yer, greeting him with a formal salute. "Noble Ethereal Aur'Ron'Yer, I bring before you Shas'El Karr, a prisoner captured by the Dark Eldar. She has since escaped and has some disturbing news"

Karr stepped forward. "Noble Ethereal, I bring grave news. The Dark Eldar threat is far greater than we could have ever anticipated. They are massing forces in preparation for an attack against us. We must immediately recall our forces from the frontlines and place all Nan Yanoi Security Forces on high alert"

The Ethereal pondered her words. "That is indeed a disturbing revelation Shas'El. If it proves true" The Ethereal motioned towards Or'es'Ka with a wave of his hand. "I believe that the reports received from Commander Or'es'Ka state that all Kaurava IV is firmly under Tau control and that the entire surface of the planet has been swept for enemy encampments. The reports given by our Stealth Teams positioned across the remainder of the system indicate that it is simply Dark Eldar raiders taking advantage of the chaos caused by this campaign. Their attacks are far too random and wide spread for them to have established themselves securely in one location without us noticing. I am convinced that once the fighting has ceased, and a single faction reigns supreme, the raiders will quickly dissipate"

Karr spoke "The Dark Eldar are masters of disguise and espionage. They built the Webway gates in this system- they must know of some other way of utilizing the gates. Perhaps they found something where they were based- an artefact or some other technology they could utilize to travel across the system. They called their base Lacunae"

"Lacunae is the name of the moon orbiting Kaurava IV. A desolate ball of rock residing just on the edge of the Warp Storm. Nothing could survive there" The Ethereal spoke with a mystical tone.

"Surely the one place that the Dark Eldar could conceal them self in mass would be the one place in the system we fear to tread?"

Or'es'Ka stepped out in support of his Shas'El. "All of the Dark Eldar my troops engaged across Kaurava IV marched under the banner of the Black Heart Kabal. And we have had reports from our scouts that the attacks across the rest of the systems were centred on the Webway portals"

"The Black Heart Kabal were the same faction I fought on Kaurava-IV and the sect who are hiding on Lacunae as we speak. We must act now before it is too late" Karr continued.

"You must understand, Shas'El, my decisions affect not only the fate of my soldiers and this campaign but also those systems on the borders of our Empire. I will not act in haste- if we lose this campaign many more of our kin may be threatened. Attacking the Dark Eldar and drawing our forces away from the frontlines may be exactly what they were expecting"

A Tau Shas'Vre burst in on the exchange. "Noble Ethereal! We have a dire situation; we have just lost contact with our perimeter station in Monse on Kaurava II"

"Are they scheduled for any communication upgrades? Any cosmic activity detected in the system perhaps?"

"Before we lost contact" The Shas'Vre produced a holographic screen from his belt pouch. "We received this transmission"

The Shas'Vre activated the projector; the image of a Tau Fire Warrior emerged on the screen. "_They're attacking!_" The soldier yelled frantically, glancing over his shoulder before turning back to his screen. "_There are too many. They're in the shadows. Nan Yanoi is next! I repeat Nan Yanoi-_" The transmission suddenly cut off in a blur of static.

"The transmission ends there, Shas'O. We have to assume that they have been lost"

Or'es'Ka pulled his COM link from his belt, typing out the required code. "Nan Yanoi perimeter station Alpha this is Shas'O Or'es'Ka. What is the situation?"

The perimeter guard emerged on the COM link screen. "_Nan Yanoi Perimeter Station Alpha receiving._ _Situation is normal Shas'O_"

"We have just lost contact with our outpost Monse. We fear that the Dark Eldar may be mounting an assault"

"_I will put all of my forces on alert Shas'O. Wait-_" The Fire Warrior paused, staring at a console just off screen. "_Shas'O we just detected an anomaly on the perimeter sensors_" The guard typed on his keyboard "_Running diagnostics"_ The soldier suddenly froze. "_Shas'O it is Dark Eldar! The Dark Eldar are-_" The guard convulsed, his throat gurgling demonically. The pointed tips of two blades emerged from the guard's chest, deep blue blood weeping from the deep cuts in his chest. The guard was thrown aside like a cheap rag doll. In his place stood a creature of pure malevolence- A Dark Eldar Mandrake. The creature hissed at the camera, slashing its bladed claws across the lens, silencing the camera feed.

The Tau leaders stood frozen in silence- they all know what this meant. Karr knew what had to be done. She secured her helmet, walking out of the Ethereals chambers with fire in her eyes, ready to face her enemies.

"What is the situation, Shas'Vre?" Karr spoke as she stepped into the Cadre Headquarters.

"The Dark Eldar have breached our perimeter defences" The Shas'Vre held a holographic tablet in his hand. "They have begun establishing a substantial perimeter defence at the base of the Citadel"

"They have established themselves securely" Shas'O Or'es'Ka stepped into the Cadre Warroom. "But as of yet they have not advanced beyond their perimeter defences. We have attempted to strike them with the Ar'Ka Cannon but with little success, they are like wraiths in the night and have proved difficult enemies to strike"

"We have directed waves of vehicles, infantry and aircraft but they have established fortified Towers of Loathing across all of access routes" The Shas'Vre activated the holographic display, a miniature representation of the battlefield before them. "This is unlike any other Dark Eldar strategy we have ever encountered. They usually prefer to cut through their opponents with no mercy, utilizing their speed and stealth to cut them down in a blink. They are not a species known to favour entrenched warfare. There must be a reason why they have decided to alter their strategy now"

Or'es'Ka pondered the display. "Reinforcements. They are holding their ground whilst they wait for a larger force to arrive. A small force was necessary for them to slip past our orbital defences unnoticed. Now that they are here all they require is the might of their army to tear through us in one fell swoop. The current concentration of Dark Eldar forces within their base seems minimal, but once more arrive it is unlikely that we will be able to hold back the dark tide of the Black Heart Kabal"

"What about requisitioning reinforcements from the fleet?" Karr asked.

"The fleet has been hailed" Or'es'Ka informed his subordinate. "But the Warpstorm is interfering with their navigational systems. We are utilizing beacons to guide them back to Nan Yanoi. But their arrival will take time which we do not have to spare. For now we must rely upon the Nan Yanoi Security Forces, which are unfortunately dwindling rapidly as we speak. We must devise a way to force the Dark Eldar from our moon quickly, or this may well be the end of our part in the Kaurava conflict"

Karr pondered his words. "Shas'O? You mentioned that the strength of the enemy force currently on the planet is minimal, and to compensate they are relying upon emplaced towers to keep our troops at bay?"

"Correct Shas'El"

Karr pondered the tactical display. "There are very few Dark Eldar who could penetrate our stealth fields. I shall lead an Elite team of Tau Stealth Troopers into their base to destroy plasma generators. With no power their towers will shut down and our forces shall be free to drive those demons from our moon"

"Very well Shas'El" Or'es'Ka formed a smile on his alien lips. "If you succeed in destroying their power network I shall follow with the entire force of Nan Yanoi to support you as soon as you give the word. May the Greater Good watch over us"

Karr glanced over her shoulder, her three Tau Stealth Team members grouping behind her. They were now within sight of the Dark Eldar base, their stealth armour would ensure that they remained invisible to all except the Dark Eldar commanders.

The pass leading towards the perimeter of the Dark Eldar base, the Towers of Loathing pulsating with demonic energy guarding the path, was littered with dead bodies and the broken chassis of Tau Vehicles and Aircraft. Beyond the guarded perimeter Karr could see the bustle of Dark Eldar soldiers and vehicles moving freely around their base.

Karr prepared to order her squad forward, but was suddenly thrown aback as one of the Tau Fire Warrior corpses coughed to life. The soldier shakily passed his hand across his chest armour in search of wounds. Karr inhaled a sharp breath as she saw the two Dark Eldar Warriors stepping out into the wasteland of destroyed vehicles and Tau corpses. The Tau soldier collapsed limp into the dirt, hoping his facade of death would allow him to pass beneath their demonic gaze. The guards silently approached, looming over one of the desecrated Tau corpses, jabbing them with their boot or the bladed tip of their rifle, before moving onto the next body. The guards continued their ritual until they came to the injured soldier.

"We have a clear shot Shas'El" One of Karrs Stealth Warriors lined up his shot. "Shall we engage?"

One of the guards pressed his boot into the soldiers' side, rolling the guard onto his back in the dirt. The two guards loomed over their latest find, attempting to discern the worth of the morsel. The guard dropped a heavy boot down onto the soldiers stomach, the Tau solider could not hold back the howl of pain, his arms curling around his chest in a desperate attempt to protect himself. The guards let out a demonic cackle at the prospect. The warriors reached down, clasping the Tau Fire Warrior under the soldiers' shoulders, dragging him across the barren wasteland towards the Dark Eldar encampment.

Karr was now once again faced with another dilemma of conscience- did she dare risk revealing herself to the Dark Eldar to save this soldier? It was how it had transpired on Lacunae, Karr forced to watch helplessly from the shadows as the Dark Eldar conducted their demonic practices. But now the stakes were higher- every Tau soldier in the Kaurava system was relying on Karr to succeed in their mission. If she failed every Tau soldier who gave their life in service to the Greater Good would had died in vain, every remaining supporter of the Greater Good on Nan Yanoi or the remainder of the system would likely fall to Dark Eldar raids, or be taken into captivity. The Tau systems bordering Kaurava would likely suffer attacks from the victor of the campaign, be they Dark Eldar or other. She could not afford to fail, sacrifices had to be made.

"Move out" Karr forced the words past her shaking lips.

Karrs stealth team members allowed their weapons to fall slack in their arms. They watched silently as the Dark Eldar warriors dragged their prisoner away into their dark domain, likely to suffer torture and a slow, painful death at the hands of these sadists. He would be avenged.

Karrs strike team moved silently through the Dark Eldar encampment. Dark Eldar vehicles and patrols moved all around them, completely oblivious to their presence right before their eyes. Karrs squad moved deeper into the alien complex, finally emerging on the sparsely defended far side of the base. This side of the compound was lined with half a dozen Plasma Generators, supposedly safe this far away from the frontlines.

Karr indicated the generators to her squad, each one stepped forward in a sequence to plant a charge on each of the generators while the others watched their backs for any indication that the Dark Eldar were aware of their presence. All of the charges were planted, the operation was nearly complete. As soon as the charges detonated the Dark Eldar camp would quickly fall into disarray and the entire Tau force would descend onto the Dark Eldar camp in force.

Karr motioned for her squad to move out, the Stealth Team forming up behind her as they moved towards the centre of the base which would lead towards the border with Tau held territory. They passed the Dark Eldar Kabal Fortress, the heart and command centre of the Dark Eldar war effort on Nan Yanoi. Karr and her squad crouched in the shadows of the Dark Eldar building, allowing a convoy of Dark Eldar vehicles to pass in front of them. Karr crept out of cover ahead of her squad, scanning her pulse rifle in front of far. So far this slumbering beast had not been disturbed by their presence.

"So..." a demonic voice spoke all around her, she froze midstep. "The fly has willingly stepped into the spider's web" Karr turned gently to the side, keeping her weapon slack in her arms. The Homunculus stood with his bladed arm outstretched in front of him. He was surrounded on all sides by Dark Eldar warriors, the circle of them advancing towards Karr, encircling her, trapping her. Karr could see out of the corner of her eye that one of the warriors was standing less than a metre away from where her squad was concealed, but so far their attention remained focused entirely upon her. "You caused quite a stir when you escaped Lacunae. Did you honestly think that in coming here you could warn them about us?" the phrase was posed more as a pitiful statement than a question.

"I just wanted to prove how lax your defences were" Karr spoke to the demonic entity.

A sinister smile grew on the creatures lips. "All you did was let your own guard down and opened the way for us" The smile suddenly dissipated. "Drop your weapon"

"_Shas'El_" A far more reassuring voice entered her head. "_We have a clean shot to terminate the Homunculus. Shall we engage?_"

"No" Karr did not allow her eyes to falter from the Homunculus. "Hold fire. Activate the explosives in exactly five seconds, and prepare for a fire-fight" She was careful to only speak through her helmets COM link, careful to maintain her pose to avoid exposing her guardian angels.

Karr kept her weapon held loosely in her arms, but she did not discard it. The warrior standing at the Homunculus's left side stepped forward, his weapon pointed into the centre of the soldiers head. "Drop your wea-"

The explosives triggered in an up wash of dust, shrapnel and superheated plasma. The guards instinctively turned, a momentary lapse in attention allowed Karr to slip free of their hold. Karr pulled her weapon into her arms, firing several shots towards the creature standing before her. Karr scrambled to her side, glancing over to see the Warrior collapse to the floor. Karr leapt behind the cover of the Dark Eldar building, the covering fire from her squad cutting through the ranks of Dark Eldar who were unable to find adequate cover.

The Homunculus turned to face where his captive had previously stood, his piercing gaze following her wake in the void to where she now stood. "Kill them!" the Homunculus growled, throwing his bladed hand in front of himself. The Warriors opened fire with a barrage of corrupted splinter fire. The Tau opened fire with their pulse weapons, the outcropping of the Dark Eldar building they were crouched behind taking the majority of the brunt of the impact, the squads armour the rest.

The Tau Pathfinders would surely have seen the explosion from the Citadel, and the ensuing fire fight should reassure them that there was still a stealth team to come and rescue. Now it was simply a case of holding the line against this Dark Eldar scourge until Tau reinforcements arrived.

"Shas'El, behind you!" Karr turned in time to see two Dark Eldar Warriors emerging behind them; two clean shots to the head pacified the threat of flanking. But this situation was quickly turning against them- it would not be long before they were completely overrun. If support were to come, it would have to come soon.

A flight of Dark Eldar Scourges emerged beside their Warrior kin to bolster the Dark Eldar barrage. The demonic furies leapt into the air, dropping their ferocious barrage from the sky. Their cover provided little protection against attack from the sky. The squad turned their weapons skyward in a desperate attempt to thin out the deadly barrage, but their small size and manoeuvrability made any attempt at retaliation almost completely futile. It now seemed that this was to be their last stand.

A flurry of plasma rounds tore across the sky, impacting the lead member of the scourge squad, tearing through the creature's wing and forcing him to fall to the ground under the power of the moons gravity. The remainder of the scourges broke apart, opening the breach for a flight of Tau Barracudas to strafe through. Accompanying this glorious sight was the rhythmic clank of Tau boots against the polished metal of the Citadel, escorted by Drone Harbingers and Skyray Missile Gunships. The exchange of Tau plasma rounds with splinter shards cut between the two factions. The Tau plasma fire was tearing through the rear of the Dark Eldar positions, their perimeter defences no longer able to hold back the wave of Tau troops which were pouring into the base from all sides.

The Dark Eldar were quickly being pushed back- the strategically positioned Stealth Team combined with the immense firepower of the Tau reinforcements forced the Dark Eldar through the breach in the Citadels defences they had formed when they had first reached Nan Yanoi. The Dark Eldar had been driven from Nan Yanoi.

Karr stared down at the main courtyard of the Citadel in the heart of Nan Yanoi. Even in the silver glow of the light reflecting against the moons high silver cliffs the entire Tau complex was alive with movement- Earth Caste drones scavenged the remains of Dark Eldar technology, Fire Warriors patrolled the perimeter, Dark Eldar prisoners who had not managed to slit their necks were escorted to meet the Water Caste diplomats.

The battle of Nan Yanoi had ended in a Tau victory, the Dark Eldar had been driven from the moon's surface, but at a terrible costs in the lives of faithful Tau soldiers. Karr had even been declared a hero of Kaurava. Her bold attack had allowed the Tau to continue their campaign to secure the Kaurava system for the Greater Good, but at what price? Karr closed her eyes, allowing her to become swept up in the memories of the battle.


	6. Chapter 6 Dark Retribution

Chapter 6- Dark Retribution

Several days had passed since the Dark Eldar assault on Nan Yanoi had been routed, the Tau once more asserting their claim over all other contenders vying for control of the Kaurava system that they alone held the true claim to the territory as a full sphere to their ever growing empire.

Shas'El Karr had utilized the short moments of peace well, leading elite squads of Tau Pathfinders and Kroot Carnivores she scoured the surface of Nan Yanoi in search of any lingering remnants of the Dark Eldar incursion, snuffing out the taint before the infection could spread further.

Karr entered the Cadre Warroom in the heart of Nan Yanoi eager to deliver her latest report to Shas'O Or'es'Ka. "Shas'O" Karr approached the commander dressed in her Fire Warrior armour, freshly bloodied from the latest hunt. "I have returned from securing sectors Delta-Two-Four through Gamma-Five-Seven, no Dark Eldar presence remains on Nan Yanoi"

Or'es'Ka glanced up from the holo-display before him. "Excellent work Shas'El. It appears as though you were correct regarding the Dark Eldar threat" Or'es'Ka indicated the display. "The raid on Nan Yanoi emerged only to be part of the Dark Eldar's assault. Whilst the majority of our forces were recalled to defend Nan Yanoi we received reports of simultaneous Dark Eldar attacks against our perimeter outposts on Kaurava IV and even some territories on Kaurava II. Once news of our victory at Nan Yanoi reached our outposts the Dark Eldar raiders quickly retreated and our positions across Kaurava were maintained" a silent smile grew across the elite commanders' alien lips at the thought, but the gesture quickly faded. "The Dark Eldar have fled Kaurava IV, however our Pathfinders have identified alien structures established across the surface of the orbiting moon of Lacunae" the view snapped closer to solely represent the desolate moon of Lacunae nestled directly on the cusp of the Warpstorm lingering on the edge of the system. On the surface the moon appeared devoid of any strategic, economic or cultural significance and its proximity to the Warpstorm currently blooming on the edge of the system made it an even more unlikely base of operations for any faction, even those dedicated to the sins of the warp.

"We must attack the Dark Eldar at their heart in order to force them from the system for good. What intelligence can you provide position of the Dark Eldar encampment?"

Karr stepped forward into the dim light of the projector. "The terrain of Lacunae is a tangled maze of deep canyons and steep overhanging cliffs, leaving little open space for base construction or troop deployment" Karr stepped to the side, circling around the display as she spoke. "The Dark Eldar have built their main base atop the highest peak on the dark side of the moon, surrounded on all sides by a sea of torture chambers and expansion bases. Their sentries maintain a keen watch; any attempt to assault their position will be quickly spotted and immediately routed. This attack shall require the use of the element of surprise"

Or'es'Ka's expression clearly darkened. "Not an easy task to surprise a race who thrives on battle and whose very nature is conditioned towards striking from the darkness just as their enemy is at their most vulnerable"

"I was their prisoner" Karr turned to face her commander. "I shall lead an elite team onto the surface of Lacunae; our small size will allow us to manoeuvre beneath the gaze of the Dark Eldar homunculus. The entire wasteland surrounding their Dark Citadel is a nest of cages filled with prisoners who would only require a call and a weapon to rally against their cruel masters. I believe that with the element of surprise and the support of the prisoners we could launch an attack to destabilize the Dark Eldar Hierarchy from within and open the way for our main assault force"

"Very well Shas'El, go forward" Or'es'Ka clasped his gauntleted chest over his chest. "For the Greater Good"

With the plans laid Karr sharply saluted and turned to leave the war room. Karr dreaded the return to Lacunae with all of her being but she knew in her heart of heart that it was a necessary sacrifice that she be the one to lead the attack. It still pained her that she had been unable to save any other Tau prisoners during her escape, but she would see their sacrifices repaid in full. When she held the Dark Eldar by their throat she would offer them the same mercy they had shown them.

The elegant Raider craft seemed to glide over the corrupted and Warp scorched wasteland he and his kin had claimed as their own within this backwater system. Lingering on the edge of the deadly Warpstorm continuing to blossom on the cusp of the system the moon of Lacunae was both concealed from any attempts by their enemies to track them as well as their attempts to pursue them. The Dark Eldar raiding craft descended to a halt at the perimeter of the outpost, allowing Archon Tahril to leap from the deck of the craft down onto the surface of the corrupted landscape.

"Lord Tahril" the Homunculus Grumeneal approached his leader with a bow. "You have returned to us"

"Yes, we are fresh from the fray of battle" Tahril stepped towards the centre outpost pocketed with Slave Chambers and training grounds. "Pain and despair ran thick as rivers as the cries of the fallen applauded our efforts"

"I did not expect you to return so swiftly Archon" the Homunculus followed in the Archons step. "I can only hope that this means that the prey fell to your blade quicker than we had imagined"

Tahril sighed "Alas, in this instance it was we who returned the vanquished"

A smile grew on the Homunculus's lips. "Lord Vect shall not be pleased to hear of your, failure" the dark artist of the medium of torture ensured to choose his final word very carefully.

"Where you see failure, I see opportunity. While their fortress still stands it is only by the barest of threads, many of their soldiers fell to our attacks, they lost many of their forces to us and many of those who remained were taken for our Slave Chambers and your Torture Grounds" Tahril savoured the prospect. "The Tau is a wounded beast with its throat laid bare, ready for the kill. These fools who plague the system know nothing of elegance or strategy, if they see a wall they attack it, if they see an army they charge at it. Once the other leaders learn of their enemies' weakness they will be unable to resist the delectable morsel and shall tear eachother apart in pursuit of it. Once the victor has laid down their arms and raised their glasses in triumph we shall descend and snatch victory from beneath their feet"

"Do not forget Archon" the Homunculus raised his bladed claws from his side. "A wounded beast still has claws with which to lash out when your back is turned"

"I do not intend to leave myself exposed to anyone, Homunculus" Archon Tahril seemed secure in his words. "And it is of no matter we keep a keen watch. If an army approached surely we would see it, and then we would tear it to pieces"

The engines of the Orca transport whirred as the craft descended towards the corrupted surface of Lacunae. Karr and her team knew the hazards of their operation, this deep into enemy territory the Tau forces could not expect any reinforcements or other outside support until they secured a landing zone for the primary Tau assault force. The Orcas landing gears touched down into the soft dirt beneath it, the loading ramp lowering into the ground as the engines slowly whirred to idle. Karr stepped down onto the surface of the moon, her Pulse Rifle held tightly in her arms, her advanced array of sensors in her helmet scanned the terrain surrounding them for threats. The area appeared clear; Karr gave her soldiers the order to advance deeper into the wasteland.

The Tau soldiers advanced through the desolate wasteland, coming to a stop at the lip of a cliff, the Fire Warriors lying prone at the cusp of the cliff edge. At the base of the cliff lay a clear example of the sinister depravity of the Dark Eldar, a demonic Slave Cage filled with prisoners and captives held for the twisted pleasure of their captors. Only two guards stood watch in front of the cage, it seemed their masters did not fear an attack so close to their dark citadel, their arrogance would prove their undoing.

Karr brought the optic of her Pulse Rifle up to her eye, lining up her shot she squeezed the trigger. The plasma bolt struck the first guard in the centre of the temple, his lifeless corpse falling without a sound. The second guard, upon seeing his comrade collapsing to the ground, frantically began scanning all around him for the shooter. He too fell wordlessly to the ground with Karrs second shot. "Areas clear"

Karr and her team, satisfied that all of the targets had been eliminated, rose to their feet and moved down towards the cage. Karr knelt down over the base of the support column, placing a layer of explosives to the support. Karr and her team retreated behind cover as the charges detonated, fracturing the crude support and dissipating the dark field it maintained. The field finally drifted out of existence, once again allowing the prisoners to reconnect with the outside universe.

The cage was filled with a dozen Tau prisoners in various states of health, those who could fight were given weapons and armour, and those that could not were given a quick and noble death. As Karr finished checking the bodies of the Dark Eldar Warriors she was approached by one of the prisoners.

"Shas'El" the soldier, despite his weariness, saluted his superior officer with surprising gusto. "It is good to see you here. I was captured in a raid a few days ago. I and the other members of my squad were prepared to be executed but we were saved when a messenger arrived saying that their leader wished to keep us for tests. I think they wanted to prolong our suffering for that much longer" a sense of pride swelled deeply within her, she knew now that she had taken a leap of faith and the Greater Good had provided.

"We need to establish a base within the wasteland" Karr pondered her tactical options.

"Before I was imprisoned I managed to memorize some of the layout of the base. There are two main guard posts between here and the main Citadel, they are far too strong to attack with the meagre forces we have now"

Karr knew that they still lacked one vital step. "Have you seen any captured members of the Earth Caste? We will need them to construct the base"

"A group of Earth Caste Engineers were captured during the same raid as I. I believe the Dark Eldar took them deeper into the encampment..." the Fire Warrior pointed towards the black mountain peak which rose high over the rest of the corrupted wasteland. "Further towards the Dark Eldar Citadel. The Guards seemed almost excited when they took them away, perhaps they believed it would be fun to torture some more intelligent minds" Karr could see the soldiers features darken, his voice dropping with every word. "They are not warriors, Shas'El. It is doubtful that they would have survived this long. Most likely they were-"

"_Well_" a piercing voice shattered their conversation, drawing the attention of every Tau soldier towards the cliff edge which overhung the cage. Atop the cliff stood a Dark Eldar Scourge squad, their metal wings glinting in the red light and their weapons ready to deliver a swift and painful death to their enemies. "Well, look what escaped from its cage. Now it shall die!"

The Tau Strike Team continued their advance through the desolate wasteland, the strength of their force and their resolve only strengthening as they freed prisoners from the Dark Eldar Slave Cages.

Navigating through the network of canyons and passages honeycombing the surface of Lacunae the Tau Force had encountered little resistance beyond an occasional patrol which was swiftly ambushed with little resistance. As the strike team drew closer to the central Dark Eldar encampment the concentration of slave cages, as well as the number of warriors guarding them, continued to grow. But with the resistance so did their strength continue to rise.

The rag tag army of Tau forces now stood at the base of the mountain upon which the Main Dark Eldar Citadel was based. Before them lay the largest formation of cages they had encountered thus far, the two dozen cages a monstrous monument to the Dark Eldars cruelty, secured the largest force of Dark Eldar soldiers they had yet to encounter. Despite the looming threat the resolve of the Tau force did not falter in their presence. The soldiers charged out from cover, the rag tag army that had been assembled from all the Tau prisoners who had long been repressed by the Dark Eldar.

The Tau Force drew first blood, the first cluster of guards falling dead before they knew what was upon them. The element of surprise now dispersed the Dark Eldar began their counterattack, the shredder ammunition of their Splinter Rifles tearing through armour and flesh indiscriminately. But despite the losses the Tau force continued to press their advantage, outnumbering the Dark Eldar in a ratio of 3-1, with morale high at the prospect of finally being able to turn the tide against their cruel oppressors many soldiers continued to fight despite injuries which would otherwise cripple others.

Then came the Warp Beasts, out of the surrounding darkness came the piercing blue eyes and scaly red skin of the Dark Eldar prized creatures of war. The creatures, guided by their Beast Tamers, charged towards the Tau line, the creatures' bladed claws digging into corrupted landscape as they leapt towards their prey. Under any other circumstance the creatures would likely tear through the Tau with little ease, due largely to the Tau proficiency in ranged warfare as opposed to melee combat, but with the burning desire for freedom in their hearts the Tau rallied behind their commander in the face of their adversaries. Utilizing whatever weapons they had, rifles sharpened rocks or wreckage, even their own two hands they clashed with the feral beasts. In close quarters the Fire Warriors met fierce resistance, the creatures sharpened claws and powerful jaws proving to be deadly weapons. But animal instinct could only bring you so far, blind determination gave the Tau soldiers the fire within to contend with their rabid beasts.

While the battle raged around her Karr lead a small team of her Elite Fire Warriors towards the nest of cages within the centre of the base. Karr approached the first cage, scanning her weapon before her she turned to indicate her subordinate. "Open the cage" the Shas'Vre stepped forward to plant the charge on the support, the burning crash of the explosion being consumed by the chorus of battle building all around them. The fog surrounding the cage finally dissipated, revealing the display of horror of Dark Eldar imprisonment. The broken and shattered corpses, of what beneath the splintered bones and pools of dry blood Karr presumed in life had been Tau Engineers and Scientists of the Earth Caste, lay splayed unceremoniously across the floor of the cell. It truly saddened Karr to see some of the finest minds of the Earth Caste reduced to a broken and tortured mess a final insult to their memory. For the brief moment it seemed that the hopes of the Tau assault had died with their fallen brethren, without their help no reinforcements could be called and the attack would soon fold.

But just as the final embers of hope within her began to flicker and die she noticed the glint of polished metal amongst the scattered remains. With the greatest care to show some final respect to her fallen comrades she turned over the body of one of the engineers to reveal the heavily stained and dented but seemingly intact hull of an Earth Caste Builder Drone. It made sense that the Dark Eldar had let this slip beneath their gaze; there was little pleasure to be gained from tormenting a victim who could feel neither fear nor pain. Once again it seemed that the Greater Good truly smiled upon those who believed.

With the liberation of the captured prisoners Karr had assembled an army. With the assistance of the Earth Caste Builders she had built a base. And soon, with the full might of the Tau Strike Force in Kaurava, she would deliver swift retribution to the creatures that had tortured and imprisoned her.

"Shas'O" Karr stood in the Warroom of the Cadre Headquarters, their only link to civilisation and their only hope of survival in this hell swept wasteland. "We have made landfall and have established a foothold at the base of the Dark Eldar encampment"

"Very well done Shas'El" their proximity to the Warpstorm made long range communications unreliable at best. "I am preparing my Strike Force for departure from Kaurava IV, we shall be there soon to support you" Despite being in the Warroom for the majority of the time since the base had been established Karr had yet to relinquish her armour, choosing to remain prepared to respond to any looming threat.

"I hope that you arrive swiftly Shas'O. I fear that we will not last long if the Dark Eldar-" the thunderous roar of an explosion tore through the looming silence.

"Shas'El, report" Or'es'Ka ordered.

"Shas'O" Karrs voice remained calm despite the panic clearly seeping into her voice. "The Dark Eldar are attacking our position!" she did not need the sound of growing fire fights to know the scale of the attack. "We will hold out for as long as we can, but we must-" the link suddenly terminated of its own accord, leaving Karr alone in the Warroom. Karr grabbed her Pulse Rifle and helmet beside her, securing her equipment she charged out into the fray.

Beyond the safety of the Cadre Headquarters the world burned, the Dark Eldar were fanning the flames in which the Tau now burned. All around her the buildings which had defiantly risen above the corrupted wasteland now lay scorched and burned. The prisoners who placed their faith in her and had risen against their vile oppressors were now being cast down with a single swift strike. Dark Eldar warriors, Warp Beasts and Hellions rampaged through the base, supported from all sides by Reaver Jetbikes and Raider craft.

But even as harrowing as the situation was the greatest threat had yet to reveal itself. Lingering in the shadows at the edge of the base perimeter lay the Dark Eldars greatest weapon, the chariot of their master, the Dais of Destruction. Atop the demonic Dias sat Lord Vect, the leader and rallying banner of the Dark Eldar himself. Karr knew what she had to do to end this battle, to see a Tau victory over the vile demons the banner of the Dark Eldar must fall.

Karr drew her Pulse Rifle from her back, placing the scope of her weapon to her eye she prepared to do her duty to the Greater Good. Karr fired her weapon, the single bolt of super heated plasma flew across the battlefield in a burning blue trail, a mesmerising sight. The bolt struck just short of the target, the Pulse Rounds striking the elaborate decoration of the throne upon the Dias. All the defiant act seemed to accomplish was to draw the fire of the Dais's gunners, forcing her to leap behind the cover of nearby supply crates. She knew that she would require a greater weapon to wield if she were to strike the killing blow.

Across the battlefield, on the far side of the Tau compound, sat the silent husks of XV-88 Broadside Battlesuits. The Heavy Mobile Artillery pieces of the Tau Empire the Rail Gun of the XV-88 alone held sufficient firepower to disintegrate any who dared to approach their entrenched position. Karr knew what she had to do, steeling herself against fear and whispering the Fire Chant beneath her laboured breaths she broke from cover and charged into the fray.

All around her fires burned, Splinter shards crossed Pulse Rounds, Kroot Staffs clashing with Mandrake Scythes. The foul stench of death hung thick in the polluted air. Karr dodged stray rounds and clashes, eager not to endanger herself in a needless engagement before she could deliver her killing blow. Karr finally reached the Heavy Mech despite the raging conflict the weapon appeared undamaged. Karr quickly clambered into the cockpit of the Broadside XV-88, activating the vast array of sophisticated systems required to operate the advanced mech.

The heavy weapons platform activated in a primal roar of engines combined with the pulsating blue glow of its energy source. A flight of two Reaver Jetbikes swooped towards the newly revitalised vehicle, eager to eliminate the threat before it could be awoken. Karr brought the arms of her mechs up to face the threat, opening fire with a barrage of rockets, the projectiles striking the noses of the craft, forcing them into a spiralling fireball of burning metal. But now she was prepared to deliver the killing blow. Karr activated the XV-88's most powerful weapon, the mechs bipedal legs stamping into the corrupted landscape allowed the twin barrels of the rail gun to fall into place, pulsating with bright blue energy. Karr drew her weapons up to face the heart of the Dark Eldar war effort.

The rail gun let fly with a simultaneous barrage of bright blue plasma, the pulses of energy reverberating through the solid structure of the mech. The concentrated balls of blue energy cut across the battlefield, the highly accurate projectile striking the rear section of the crafts hull covering the engine. The craft bucked and turned with the force of the impact, forcing Lord Vect to tightly grip the armrests of his throne for support. The Dark Eldar overlord growled deeply in his alien throat, as the craft began to settle he rose to his feet, fire in his eyes as he stared at the one who had been so bold as to defy him. The two leaders, across the great divide of the battle, stared eachother down, each unrelenting, the anger within them threatening to force the two into a single clash which would only see one emerge.

But suddenly out of the looming darkness came the unmistakable roar of engines, dozens of Orca Transports flanked by Barracuda fighter escorts descended on glowing wings of fire to aid their contested brethren. Once more the tides of battle had shifted.

"Retreat" however on this occasion the Dark Lord conceded his position, collapsing down onto his throne, his bladed claws grasped the skulls at the tips of his pointed armrests with sufficient force splinter the hardened bone. "I require repairs"

Upon this single order his chariot of darkness, escorted by the fragments of his force, turned and began its ascent towards the looming peak upon which the citadel was built. Although his prey had slipped his grasp it would only make his victory all the sweeter as he drank their souls from their broken bodies as all around them their encampment was consumed by flames. What the Dark Lord did not realize was that this minor victory would be the launching point from which the Tau would sweep away the scattered remnants of the Black Heart Kabal and see that their retribution would be done.

Tau Shas'El Karr stared out across the battlefield before her. She did not feel the slightest remorse as the Dark Eldar citadel burned and their troops were slaughtered in mass.

The task force of elite Fire Warriors, under the command of their Shas'El, continued to press their way up the hill towards the Dark Eldar position ahead of them. While Tau commander Or'es'Ka led the main Tau force against the bulk of the Dark Eldar horde Karr had been chosen to lead her soldiers in an effort to finally end the flight of the Dias of Destruction. When that dark vessel sinks into the dirt the will and spirit of the Dark Eldar would quickly follow.

"Target ahead" Karrs lead Pathfinder pointed into the centre of the fray building before them. Karr stared out into the battle before her. Directly ahead of them hovered a ghostly vessel over the battlefield, flanked on all sides by the forces of corruption.

"Hammerheads" Karr activated the COM link, communicating with the loyal pilots of the two accompanying Hammerhead Gunships flanking either side of their commander. "Open fire on the Dias of Destruction, let the ship fall to the Greater Good"

"Affirmative Shas'El" The lead pilot acknowledged the command. "Rail gun charging" The two hover tanks, the right hand of the Greater Good, hovered into position alongside their commander. The mighty rail guns of the Heavy Gunships opened fire, directing a concentrated pulse of plasma into the pointed nose of the craft; the first volley had only appeared to scar the armoured hull of the craft. The rebellious act of defiance only served to draw the attention of the Dark vessel, a barrage of splinter rounds from the Dais's secondary guns fractured against the armoured hull of the lead Tau vehicles. The riot guns of the Hammerheads splashed charged plasma across the enemy vessel, their rail guns charging in preparation for their final assault.

Lord Vect rose from his throne to stand proudly atop his flagship, he held the large bladed claws of his right hand out at arm's length. A pulsing ball of dark energy formed in his gauntleted hand, coursing arcs of lightning striking the Dais's main cannon. Karr had read reports on this weapon; she knew the darkness that was soon to fall. "Pilots fire all guns. Fire all-"

Her words were in vain. The Dias's main gun, empowered by the essence of the Dark Lord of Commorragh, opened fire on the Tau line in a burning purple wave. Karr dropped into the dirt, feeling the burning tingle of energy surging through her as the beam passed overhead. Karr dared to look up from the ground, the engine of the Dark Eldar Dais had been crippled; in its final act of defiance one of the Hammerheads had struck the vessel. The craft wavered in midair before it suddenly lunged forward towards the scattered remnants of the Tau formation, Karr thrust herself into the dirt once again as the drowning moan of the faltering engines passed overhead. Karr rolled onto her back, watching with barely restrained pleasure as the vessels flight finally ceased in a spectacular plume of flames. All around her the scattered remains of her force gathered and charged towards the enemy formation seeking to avenge their fallen leader. Karr yearned to rejoin her soldiers in their final victorious charge but the sheer beauty of the explosion was so overwhelmingly beautiful that she could not bear to turn away from it. A Tau Fire Warrior helped pull their fallen knight to her feet before resuming his charge.

Movement suddenly stirred within the wreckage, debris shifted as someone emerged from the fiery inferno. Karrs feet began to move of their own accord, drawing her towards the burning wreckage. Karr discarded her Pulse Rifle aside; though the Tau did not focus themselves in hand to hand combat, believing it to be the crude weapons of the barbarians, this was the way it had to be done. As she drew closer she could discern more and more detail of the identity of the lone survivor, the grand elaborate design of the beasts armour. Karr struck the large figure in the side with her armoured foot, forcing the broken leader to roll over onto his back, his burning red eyes staring back up at her. "You will never defeat us" Vect spat the words past his lips. "If you wish to deliver my death then do not expect me to beg-"

Karr plunged the curved point of her forearm blade into the chest of Lord Vects armour, feeling the serrated blade piercing deeper past the heavy armour and cutting into the soft flesh beneath. Karr twisted the blade within the writhing body, feeling the life slowly draining from within him as he took his final gasping breath. Karr withdrew her weapon, the blade soaked thickly with fresh blood. Karr could not bring herself to rise to her feet, all that she could do was stare into his lifeless eyes. This creature was the heart of everything, every prisoner, every Tau soldier left dead in this attack, their blood drenched his hands.

"Very impressive my little ember" Karr remembered that voice well; it was one she would never allow herself to forget. Karr quickly snapped to her feet, turning sharply to face the source of the voice. Archon Tahril stood several metres away. "It seems you have truly proven yourself the better warrior at slaying a man while he lays unarmed on his back" a despicable smile grew across his corrupted lips. "I am afraid that I cannot remain and kill you myself, but Commarragh eagerly awaits my return" Tahril bowed to his enemy. "Farewell"

Archon Tahril turned on his heel and stepped through the Webway portal. Karr gave chase after him, the creature suddenly disappeared in a flash of deep purple light. It seemed her enemy had eluded her, for now.

Karr felt the gentle breeze wafting through her blood red hair, staring out over the smouldering embers of what had once served as the heart of the Dark Eldar war effort within the Kaurava System. From her vantage point atop the cliffs she watched as Fire Warrior teams and Kroot Carnivore packs hunted the scattered remnants of the Dark Eldar force. In this instance she had abandoned her post battle ritual and had retained her armour and weapons whilst she oversaw the final clear up operations.

"Shas'El" a Tau Shas'Vre approached his commanding officer. "The battle is won Shas'El. The enemy forces are routed; those which remained either fled through the Webway or slipped into the wilderness. We have destroyed the Webway portals in order to prevent the Dark Eldar returning. What are your orders Shas'El?"

"I do not wish to subject our soldiers to this hellish wasteland for a moment longer. Release the prisoners from their cells; offer those who survived the torture of the Dark Eldar the opportunity to come under the doctrine of the Greater Good. Those who accept are to be escorted to the Orca transports and taken to Kaurava IV for quarantine and re-education, those who refuse are to be left where they stand" Karr turned to face her comrade. "Once our forces have evacuated we shall purge this wasteland with fire from the Ar'Ka cannon"

"Very well Shas'El" the Fire Warrior saluted with the sharp crash of his gauntlet against his chest and turned to leave. Karr returned her gaze to the hell scorned wasteland before her.

"Shas'El" the voice of an Earth Caste Fio'El approached his commanding officer. "We have discovered an artefact I believe would be of interest-"

"There is nothing on this corrupted moon left for us" Karr said sharply, her gaze unfaltering.

"Shas'El" the scientist assembled his words with delicate care. "With all due respect, we believe that this artefact may be the source of the Dark Eldars capabilities to traverse-"

"I cannot speak for you Fio'El" Karr turned to face the scientist. "But I am in no way interested in spending another moment in this hell scorned wasteland than necessary. Gather what data you can whilst the evacuation is completed and then report to your transport. But do not take any samples with you, we cannot allow any of their dark taint to leave this moon and risk their corruption spreading. Should your discovery survive the purge of the Ar'Ka cannon you are free to return here and continue your analysis if your scientific curiosity demands"

"Shas'O" the holographic representation of the Tau commander loomed on the far side of the tactical display. "The battle of Lacunae has been won. In the wake of the conflict have discovered what they believe is a Dark Eldar artefact" A holographic model of the Dark Eldar Webway portal rotated on the surface of the display. "Our Earth Caste Engineers believe that the artefact had been reconfigured in order to allow them to access the entire Webway network within the Kaurava system, they theorize that this is how their attacks have been so widespread across the system"

Or'es'Ka pondered the knowledge for a moment. "_With this technology we will be free to strike at any target within the Kaurava system. Now that the Dark Eldar threat has been eliminated we are free to turn our attention to our greatest enemy_" the holographic display of the Kaurava system returned, Or'es'Ka laid a large finger upon the simulated surface of Kaurava I. "_The Imperial Guard. As the foot soldiers of the Imperium they have laid claim to the system for hundreds of years, allowing them to sink their wretched claws into every developed region within the system_"

"I have encountered the Imperial Guard in many previous campaigns" the memories flooded through her mind in one fell swoop. "They are stubborn and unyielding, unable to utilize military strategies beyond massing Infantry and Armoured Columns against our ranks"

"The Kaurava conflict has struck the Imperial Guard the hardest of all, the arrival of eight other conflicting powers within the system has forced the Imperial Guard back to their citadel within the Dussala Precinct of Kaurava I. That is where we shall strike and drive the enemy from Kaurava"

Tau forces slipped onto Kaurava I, establishing a foothold on the planet's surface they began engaging the Imperial Guard directly. In the wake of several bloody battles Tau ground troops finally overcame the human defenders and began to press deeper inland towards the main Imperial installations. In the end the Imperial General withdrew his soldiers towards his stronghold at Dussala Precinct and dared the alien invaders to follow in after him. In the end the Tau had little choice but to take a leap of faith and step into the dark abyss, but they didn't get very far.

The bulkhead doors slid silently open to allow Shas'El Karr to step into the heart of the Cadre Headquarters. As always she found Tau Commander Or'es'Ka perched over the tactical display, she greeted him with a sharp salute. Or'es'Ka glanced up from the display to greet her.

"I have returned from my patrol, Shas'O" Karr delivered her report. "The perimeter of the base has been secured; the patrols have reported minimal enemy contact. It seems unlike the Mon'keigh to allow such a blatant insult to the Emperor in their presence"

"I believe that I may be in position to offer an explanation, Shas'El" Or'es'Ka activated the holographic display as she spoke. "I received a report from the squad of Pathfinders I dispatched to map the enemy positions" the display formed into an overhead view of the battlefield to come. "The enemy has two major installations within Dussala. Their headquarters and primary production facilities are located here" Or'es'Ka indicated the far side of the battlefield from their position. "Their other main installation lies in the centre of the battlefield surrounded by secondary supply and expansion bases" Or'es'Ka indicated the scattering of red marks pocketing the map. "We believe that this position operates an experimental artillery site codenamed 'Enhanced Basilisk'" The holographic display formed into a technical analysis of the few pieces of intelligence that had been assembled on the weapon and its fearsome capabilities. "This weapon has range and firepower to rival even the rail gun of our Broadside battlesuits; already it has successfully kept our armour and massed infantry at bay. But I am afraid that despite its capabilities the weapon will not prove our greatest obstacle in this battle" Or'es'Ka triggered the holographic display once again. "The Imperial Headquarters within Dussala also serves as the primary Imperial Baneblade production facility within the Kaurava system" a holographic model of the human war machine loomed over the holographic display, its entire armoured surface pocketed with an array of heavy weapons and armaments.

"At least we are fighting an enemy with some semblance of honour, one who is willing to face us in direct conflict"

"The Mon'keigh is designed for little else but direct conflict, but we have the support of the Greater Good. We have learnt the Imperials delivered a shipment of Baneblades to the frontline in order to hold the line against the advance of the Sisters of Battle; this has left them without a single operational Baneblade within their stronghold. We have discovered that they are attempting to construct more" the holographic display showed the Dussala Precinct. "The components, crews and ammunition have been assembled at the Mechanised Command buildings and are to be transported in convoys to the Mars Pattern buildings in the central guard complex" the map burned with red trails each leading into the centre of the complex. "We must first remove the threat of the Imperial Artillery site before we can advance-"

Or'es'Ka was interrupted midsentence as a holographic figure of a Tau Pathfinder hovering over the holographic display. "_My apologises for interrupting Shas'O but I have an urgent message to relay_"

Or'es'Ka's posture stiffened. "Go ahead, Shas'Vre"

"_Shas'O the Imperials have advanced their operations. While conducting reconnaissance on the Imperial perimeter we identified a vehicle we believe to be transporting Baneblade components departing the outlying base with a heavily armoured escort of vehicles_"

Or'es'Ka and Karr passed a silent glance across the divide. "Well done, Shas'Vre. Remain hidden and continue your observations "The Pathfinder snapped a sharp salute as the transmission terminated.

"We need to act immediately" Karr said urgently.

"I know, Shas'El. But with the Artillery operational we would not to be able to draw close enough to-"

"I don't need forces" Karr snapped sharply, her gauntleted hands crashing down on the console with a crescendo of metal against metal. "If those convoys reach the Central Complex the Imperials will have their ultimate weapon. Send me and a squad and the Imperials will lose their greatest advantage"

Or'es'Ka conceded. "Very well" they returned their gaze to the virtual map of the cityscape. "Before our arrival the Imperials collapsed the major highways and flooded any underground routes leading into the city centre to slow our advance. However in the end this may prove their undoing, forcing both us and the Imperial convoys to trail through the tight city streets and impassable sections created by the looming conflict"

"If we could get ahead of the convoy..." Karr followed the predicted path of the convoy across the map. "We could launch an ambush and eliminate the threat entirely"

"Very well Shas'El, go forward and serve the Greater Good"

The group moved with light feet and silent breathes beneath the cover of twilight. The team consisted of two Stealth Teams and an elite squad of Fire Warriors equipped with modified, short range jump packs for traversing difficult terrain. Ensuring to keep to the heavy shadows of the ruins of the overhanging buildings they had yet to encounter an Imperial patrol. Karr prayed that their good fortune would continue, their small size would leave them easy prey to the looming Imperial force.

Though it seemed her faith in the Greater Good was well placed as they came within sight of the objective, what had once served as a major road linking the city together flanked on one side by tall ruins of buildings and the other by an impassable defensive wall would serve as the perfect ambush point for the approaching Imperial convoy.

"Stealth teams" Karr turned to face her Stealth Team Leaders. "Establish our position in those ruins above"

"Affirmative Shas'El" the Stealth Teams triggered their jump packs and leapt up onto one of the exposed floors of the ruined building, the outer wall having been blown open by an artillery shell.

Karr turned to face the Shas'Vre leading the Fire Team. "Shas'Vre, prepare the charges. The convoy will be arriving soon"

Imperial Guard Sergeant Kiara Wulf considered herself to either be blessed, or cursed. Born into a devoted Imperial family she had joined the Imperial Academy once she had become of age; however her apparent act of selfless patriotism helped to conceal a far darker secret. Ever since childhood she had lived in constant fear of her abilities as a Psyker being discovered. Although weak and untrained her talents allowed her a glimpse into the world surrounding her, which alone would be sufficient for the Imperium to have her sacrifice herself to the God Emperor. Kiara had hoped that with time she would learn to control her abilities, in the mean time hoping to lose herself amongst the thousands of servants of the Imperium and conceal herself from the many eyes of the Inquisition.

Kiaras abilities though did offer her some saving graces, sitting in the cramped crew compartment of the _Chimera_ troop transport she could feel the stale air drenched thick with fear and primal anticipation. Each of the other Imperial Guard soldiers were young men, each knew their duty was to defend the Imperium and give their lives if need be. After weeks of watching from the Imperial stronghold they had patrolled the empty streets of Dussala it came as an unwelcome change for these raw recruits to find themselves on the newest frontline in this growing conflict which threatened to engulf all of Kaurava in its flames.

The Imperial convoy was composed of a vanguard of two _Sentinels_ and a _Chimera_ transport carrying a full platoon of Imperial Guardsmen and elite Kasikrin Heavy Infantry. In the centre of the formation rolled a _Rhino_ Heavy Transport carrying a full payload of parts and munitions required for the production of Imperial _Baneblade_ tanks, the rear guard was protected by Kiaras _Chimera_ and a second formation of Sentinels. They all knew the importance of this mission, without the _Baneblades_ the Imperium in Kaurava would fall. The God Emperor moves in mysterious ways if the latest shipment of _Baneblades_ had been transferred to the frontlines to hold the line against the Sisters of Battle the day before the Tau launched their daring assault. The looming silence was broken by the thunderous crash of explosions. The Tau had arrived.

The ambush had been set. Karr crouched hidden in the snipers nest her team had constructed in the shattered ruins of the human building looming over the street where the battle was about to begin. The sound was carried on the wind, the lingering growl of the engines of the human vehicle growing louder as they drew closer. Karr could see the warm glow of the vehicles lights lining the armoured hull of the Imperial vehicles as they rolled down the street towards the Tau position.

Karr clasped the trigger in her hand, listening as the rhythmic clank of the _Sentinels_ armoured feet against the broken tarmac, as soon as they were directly beneath them the trap will be sprung. Karr passed her gaze across the rest of the team, each held their weapons tightly in their hand, ready to do their duty to the Greater Good.

The lead mech passed beneath their position. Karr activated the trigger, the explosives activated beneath the feet of the leading _Sentinels_. The legs of the heavy mechs cracked and splintered with the heat and pressure of the explosion, the human vehicles collapsed to the ground in a flurry of explosions and shattered metal casings. The broken mechs formed a barrier of smouldering debris, trapping the remaining vehicles in the street. The troop doors of the _Chimera_ transports slammed open, the soldiers piling out of their transports into the open street.

The Imperial soldiers were met with a rain of bright blue plasma from the concealed Tau position. The Guardsmen took cover behind the vehicles, returning fire with lasfire into the entrenched enemy position. Kiara pressed herself against the hull of the _Chimera_, shielding herself from the Tau bombardment. The alien beings maintained the advantage at range, but they would soon find that the Imperium would not falter so easily. The broken hulls of the _Sentinels_ prevented any chance of retreat; this only left the choice to fight!

"Forward soldiers of the Imperium!" the thunderous roar of the Commissar accompanied the heroic visage of the aging Imperial leader holding himself high above the rank and file soldiers surrounding him, his very image revitalising the faltering morale of the men. Although a Commissar did not hold an official rank within the Imperial Command structure they maintained the authority to supersede the orders of planetary governors in service to the God Emperor. This authority combined with their unshakable devotion to the Imperium made them a force to be feared and respected within the Imperium and their enemies alike.

The Imperial Guardsmen quickly rallied, firing a barrage of grenades into the Tau position they quickly forced the aliens to cover for their lives. Yet despite this victory the precise shots of the Tau snipers continued to shatter the Imperial forces. Once more the Commissar, in the face of the looming danger, fearlessly rose from cover to address his soldiers. "Fight you dogs!" the Commissar stared down at his men with rabid fire in his eyes. "In the name of the Emperor you will not fal-" the Commissars words of furious righteousness were ended mid-sentence, a large red mark seeped from the chest of the Commissars armour. "Damn... heretics" the symbol of the Imperial fury fell from atop the vehicles, laying dead at his soldiers feet, his final gasping breath a curse upon the heretical xeno which had struck him down. With their fearless leader dead at their feet the Imperial offensive quickly began to falter. Kiara quickly realized that there was only one way forwards.

Karr fired another bolt of plasma into the armoured hull of the _Chimera_ before dropping into cover from the barrage of laser fire. All around her the intense skirmish continued, with losses forming on both sides, though despite this it appeared that with their leader dead the Imperial morale quickly faltered.

The Imperial fire suddenly began to falter and cease entirely. Karr dared to expose her head out from cover, the battlefield had fallen deafly silent. Karr could see a single figure emerging from cover, their lasgun still held loosely in their arms but not raised, whatever this human intended did not warrant more bloodshed.

"Tau soldiers" the creatures' voice carried far, the human carefully avoided the use of the more popular Imperial terms such as 'Xenos' or 'Heretic'. "I wish to address whomever you call your leader"

Karr stepped out of cover into the view of the soldier standing beneath her. The Imperial soldier was a young woman, dark brown hair spilling down her back in a well maintained ponytail. By her uniform and the way she carried herself Karr assumed she had been forced into the position as their ambassador.

"Thank you, Commander" the soldier addressed her. "I am Sergeant Kiara Wulfstan of the Imperial Guard. You have fought well Tau soldiers, had you been of the Imperium of Man you would be rivals of the greatest among us" the human took her weapon tightly in her hands. "But I do not wish to fight you, nor to needlessly sacrifice the lives of my soldiers" the human laid their weapon at her feet.

The operation was over; heavy casualties had been suffered on both sides of the engagement. In the end a single Imperial soldier had stepped forward to offer a pact of ceasefire, in the end Karr had agreed to allow the Imperial soldiers to depart in exchange for the sacrifice of the Baneblade shipment. In trade the Imperial Guardsmen would be free to return to face eachother again in the final engagement.

Karr watched from their temporary outpost as the wreckage of the transport exploded in a plume of bright orange flame as the Pulse Grenades detonated beneath the armoured hull of the transport, the flames lapping at the dark twilight which surrounded it. The battle of Dussala Precinct had begun and the streets would run fast and thick with blood.


End file.
